The Peep Hole Chronicles
by FFCollab
Summary: Three boys. Three girls. Two peepholes. One big  mis adventure. A Round Robin Collaboration. All human. Rated M.
1. Shenanigans

**Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by MandyLeigh87. If you would like to join this story please PM us for more details.**

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**Bella**

"It's boys!" Alice squealed. She turned back to smile at Rose and I before plastering her eye back to the peephole.

"Want to take bets on how long it'll take her to accidentally run into them?" Rose asked.

"Can I put my vote in for an hour?" I rolled my eyes and hopped off the couch. "I have to go meet my dad for dinner."

"Too bad. You'll miss the show." She popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth and nodded towards Alice.

"Keep me updated." I disappeared into my room for a second to grab my coat. When I returned to the living room Alice was jumping up and down like she'd just won the Publisher's Clearing House prize.

"There are three! One. Two. Three! One for each of us." Her eyes danced between us.

"Goodbye Alice." I waved and brushed past her. I inched open the door and snuck out before she followed me.

The door to the apartment across from ours was wide open. From what I could see there were stacks of boxes in the living room. Two guys were talking to each other in the kitchen and from the quick look I got, they were pretty cute. I bet Alice will go for the blonde.

I smiled and started down the stairs. As I turned the corner I noticed someone else coming up with more boxes. They were stacked high in his arms, completely covering his face.

"Hey dickwads I could use a little help here!" He yelled as I brushed past him. "Oh! Sorry." He peeked around from his boxes and smiled at me. Fuck me into oblivion he was gorgeous.

"Uh…it's okay." I tried to smile but I knew I probably looked like a kid in a candy store.

"My roommates aren't being very helpful with the move." He adjusted the boxes in his arms.

"I think you're moving in across from me." I nodded and glanced at my watch. "Here let me help you."

"No you don't have to do that…" He shook his head, but I reached for the top box anyway.

"It's the neighborly thing to do." I started back up the stairs.

"Well if you ever need a cup of sugar I'd be happy to oblige," he said from behind me.

I felt a little weird just walking into their apartment so I stood aside and let him walk in before me.

"Where do you want this?" I asked.

"Anywhere is fine." He set down his boxes as the other two guys turned towards us.

"Who is this?" One of them asked.

"This is our neighbor…actually I didn't get your name." Sex God turned towards me and scratched his head.

"I'm Bella."

"Bella I'm Edward." He held out his hand and smiled.

"And I'm Emmett." He pushed his way between Edward and I and vehemently shook my hand. "That's Jasper." He nodded over at the third guy.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm really sorry, but I have to run. I have dinner reservations so…" I glanced at Edward. "I guess I'll be seeing you."

"Be seeing you." I swore he winked at me as I walked out but I could very well be imagining it.

I hurried down the stairs and called my dad to tell him I'd be a few minutes late. By the time I got to the restaurant he was already seated with a glass of whiskey for each of us.

"Hey Bells." He stood up and gave me a hug.

"Hey Dad, how are you?" I sat down and took a drink. My dad and I were more similar than either of us cared to admit. I mean the physical aspect was definitely there. I'd inherited his dark eyes and dark hair, but there was more. We both loved old movies, a good game of poker and a smooth glass of Jack.

"Doing pretty well. How about yourself?"

"Getting by."

"And the girls?" He smirked. My dad knew about the shenanigans me and my roommates tended to find ourselves in. Mostly because he was the one cleaning up after us when we were in high school. Being the police chief's daughter actually has its advantages when you get caught painting penises on the principal's minivan.

"Good as ever," I laughed. "How's work?"

"Slow. I won $40 off of Deputy Sean the other day. Full house." He smiled and sipped on his drink.

"Working hard I see." I playfully narrowed my eyes at him as the waiter stepped beside me.

We had a nice dinner catching up about what was going on in my life. He asked about Mom of course. They divorced when I was four but it was easy to see he was still in love with her. She remarried before I left for Seattle and lived in Florida with her new, younger husband. I never thought my mother would turn out to be a cougar, but she bagged a guy probably young enough to be my older brother.

After dinner I made my way back to the apartment, feeling a little buzzed from the alcohol. As I walked up the stairs my thoughts drifted to Edward. When I reached our hallway my eyes glanced between our two doors, debating on whether or not I should knock on his. He did offer to give me a cup of sugar right?

I took a deep breath and stepped in front of their door. I had no idea what I was going to say to him, but I guess I'd cross that bridge when the time came in about five seconds. I cleared my throat and was about to knock when I heard men's voices…from my apartment.

"Thank you for dinner Alice," a voice said. It almost sounded like that Jasper guy. I rolled my eyes. Chances are Alice ordered take out and transferred it over to our pans to make it look like she cooked. I was the only one who ever used that kitchen.

"Will Bella be home soon?"

My breath hitched in my throat. That was definitely my Edward. Well Edward. Not my Edward. Which was unfortunate for my Lady Bits since they've become quite fond of him as of recent.

I turned around and stepped into our apartment. I wasn't surprised to see all three of them, Jasper, Emmett and Edward sitting around the dining room table with Rose and Alice. There were plenty of empty beer bottles lined up already on the countertop and a few pans of food.

"Speak of the devil…" Rosalie smirked.

"Hello everyone." I set down my bag and shrugged out of my coat.

"How was your dinner date?" Alice asked. She inched a little close to Jasper. I guess my inclination from earlier was dead on. She went for blondie. Rose seemed mildly amused with Emmett, which was saying a lot for her.

"Fine. How was your evening?" I cocked my eyebrow and smiled.

"Fantastic." Alice jumped up and threw me a beer. There was an empty chair next to Edward so I took a seat and popped open my bottle.

"Bella…" Edward said.

"Edward." I nodded and took a sip. "How is it that you ended up in my apartment? Did you take a wrong turn in the hallway?" I teased.

"This isn't our apartment?" He faked shock and slammed his beer down on the table. "Damnit! Guys! We went into the wrong apartment again!"

"It's an easy mistake. Anyone could have done it. Since you're here I guess you could stay for awhile."

"Oh can I?"

"Yes you can." I leaned closer to him before I realized I was flirting. I didn't deny it. That was the first step was admitting you have a problem. I've become severely attracted to this man sitting next to me and I hope its incurable.

"So what have you guys been doing?" I asked.

"Oh you know we just had some dinner," Alice shrugged.

"And booze." Emmett laughed and patted Edward on the back.

"I can tell." I smiled and took a sip.

"It's our housewarming party."

"But you're not even in your house."

Edward laughed and started choking on his beer as the rest of the group broke into their pairs and started chatting.

"You're very clever you know that," Edward mumbled.

"It's just one of my many talents." I smiled.

"Is that so?" He threw his arm around the back of my chair and we drank our beer in silence.

I kept glancing over at him, gauging how drunk he was. I didn't know the man that well so I obviously wasn't versed in the stages of Drunk Edward, but I noticed his eyes were starting to glaze over so I figured he was pretty gone.

I got up and collected all the dishes from their dinner. As I walked over to deposit them in the sink I heard someone scrambling behind me.

"I can help you," Edward said, stepping behind me.

"Okay. I'll wash, you dry."

"Deal." He slung the towel over his shoulder and waited.

We washed the dishes while the others migrated to the couch, but I doubt they noticed. They were too absorbed in their own little worlds. This wasn't to say that I wasn't totally absorbed in Edward and the way I felt every time his arm brushed against mine.

Alice turned on some music and I found myself swaying my hips a little to the music despite my distaste for dancing. It wasn't that I hated it necessarily; I just chose not to do it for fear of starting the apocalypse with my horrendous moves.

"I have a confession to make," Edward mumbled, keeping his eyes on the dishes.

"What's that?" I washed the last dish and turned towards him.

"I already have a crush on you. Maybe…slightly."

"I didn't realize you were so forward Edward." I smirked and crossed my arms in front of me.

"It's the alcohol." He threw the towel down and turned to me. "So what do you think?"

"About what?"

He took a step forward and placed his hand lightly on my hip. I might have been really nervous if I hadn't been drinking. Dear Lord please don't let me vomit on him.

"About my confession?" He smiled slightly and licked his lips.

"Well…"

Someone cleared their throat across the room and I realized everyone had fallen completely silent. I glanced over at them and noticed their eyes all glued to Edward and I. I could only imagine how this looked, how intimate our stance must be to them.

I took a step away from Edward and felt my blush radiate through my body. I darted towards the bathroom to escape and let them forget about what they just saw. It wasn't that I didn't like it; I just don't want to be on display like that. And plus I'll never hear the end of it from Alice and Rose.

I finished the rest of my beer in the bathroom and finally exited to grab another. I may or may not have taken a few shots in secret. I'm sure it looked a little odd sticking my head halfway in the freezer, but I told them I was just looking for ice cubes.

I got stuck sitting next to Edward again. Not that I'm complaining but I knew it was a plot by my roommates to get me some action. I hated being set up. It was like the ultimate desperate cry and I was doing fine capturing the man's attention all by myself.

"Are you okay?" Edward whispered, brushing his nose into my hair. He put his arm along the back of the couch.

"Yeah." I nodded.

Two episodes of Friends later, I was drunk as hell. My fingers and toes were buzzing and my limbs felt light as a feather. I barely noticed Edward running his fingers lightly along my shoulder, but I noticed. So did my stomach and my lady bits because they were both fluttering in anticipation at his touch.

I found myself scooting a little closer to him and almost found the nerve to feel up his leg right in front of everyone, but the ringing of his phone stopped me dead in my tracks.

He cursed under his breath and maneuvered it out of his back pocket. He clenched his eyes tight and sighed as he read over the name and hit ignore. It rang again two seconds later and he excused himself to answer it.

"What do you want?" He stepped into the kitchen and tried lowering his voice but we could all hear him anyway. "No Tanya….No Tanya….No."

"Who's Tanya?" Alice asked.

"His ex-girlfriend," Emmett said. "She's bat-shit crazy."

"Yep." Jasper nodded his head and took another sip of his beer.

Edward stomped back into the room and threw his phone down on the couch beside me.

"I'm going to kill my mother," he said.

"What'd she do now?" Jasper asked.

"She told her our new address."

"Shit."

A moment later we all heard footsteps in the hallway that were distinctly high heels.

"No!" Emmett whispered and started laughing as he ran towards our door. He looked out the peephole and doubled over. "We have a visitor," he said softly.

We all ran to the door, anxious to see. We heard her knock on the boys' door.

"Edward! I know you're in there!" Her voice reminded me of a wounded Chihuahua. She pounded again. "I'm not leaving until you come out and talk to me."

"I should go talk to her." Edward reached for the doorknob.

"Why the hell would you do that? She'll be gone in ten minutes." I pulled his hand back.

"You obviously don't know her." He reached for the doorknob again and pulled it open. "Tanya."

"What are you doing over there? Did I get the wrong apartment?" She asked.

"It doesn't matter. You need to leave, I don't want you here."

"Baby, I made a mistake. I don't want to be apart anymore," she whined.

"Tanya…" Edward sighed.

"Come on Edward, we were so good together."

"I'm not doing this."

"Well I'm not leaving." I heard her stomp her little heeled foot and I laughed.

Nothing could have ever prepared me for what I did next. I had no idea where the little crazy idea came from or why I decided to go through with it, but I did.

I pulled my shirt off, whipped open the door and stepped outside with a big smile on my face. I wrapped my arm around Edward's waist and pulled him close. So much for not being on display.

"What's going on baby?" I asked.

"Uh…." Edward's brow furrowed in confusion for a moment as he took in my bare skin and dark blue bra.

"Who's this?" I nodded to Tanya.

"I'm his girlfriend," she snapped. She glared daggers at me and my fingers as they lightly groped his hip.

"Ex-girlfriend," Edward corrected.

"Well we're busy ex-girlfriend." I turned towards Edward and brushed my hand down over his ass. "Weren't we?" I winked at him and he finally caught on to my game.

"Yeah. Very busy." He pulled me closer.

"Actually I need to tell you something." I smirked at him and pulled myself up to his ear. I pretended to whisper dirty things in his ear and he laughed and played along perfectly. He even moved his hands south to cup my ass and pull my hips to his.

As I pulled away, his eyes connected with mine. For one brief moment the whole world stopped around us and I pushed myself up a little further to press my lips to his. This wasn't part of the plan. I wasn't going to take it this far, but here we are making out in the hallway. Me in my bra, his ex-girlfriend ready to machete my ass and all of our friends sitting on the other side of the door watching.

She gasped in disgust as he whipped me around and pressed me tightly against the wall. His tongue lightly caressed my bottom lip, begging for permission. I parted my lips slightly and allowed him inside. I felt him smile against me before dipping down to my neck. He nibbled and sucked on my skin as my eyes fluttered open. I smirked at Tanya and shrugged. She stomped her foot again before screaming and darting back down the hallway.

"She's gone," I whispered, trying to catch my breath.

He stopped kissing me, but his lips lingered for a moment against my skin before he pulled away.

"Um….where the hell did that come from?" He started laughing as the door flew open.

"That!" Emmett slammed his fist against the door. "Was fucking brilliant! You're my new favorite person!"

"Thanks," I mumbled. I stumbled inside and that was it.

I woke up the next morning with no recollection of anything after the hallway incident. My head was pounding before I even opened my eyes. I finally inched them open and realized I was in nothing by my underwear. I'd made it to my bed somehow, but I have no idea how I got there. I groaned and rolled over, stopping abruptly when I ran into a bare chest. I felt up and down it, trying to figure out if I was dreaming or hallucinating.

"Not that I mind you doing that, but…what the hell are you doing?" Edward asked.

I screamed and pulled the covers up over my bare chest before reaching for the lamp beside my bed.

There he was. Right beside me in all his gorgeous glory. He squinted into the light as I took in his form. He was in nothing but his boxers and a wave a panic shot through me. Did we do what I think we did? I sure as hell hope not because that's something I definitely wanted to remember.

"Edward…did we…" I motioned between us. "I mean did we….have sex?"

He cocked his head to the side. I held my breath as he started to speak…

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**A/N: First of all thank you for joining us on this little adventure. It should be a fun ride. My name is MandyLeigh87 and I'm one of the admin for this Round Robin story. If you don't know what that is, I'll tell you a little about it. We've collected a great group of authors who will be writing this story for you. There is no set plot or outline, they'll just be building on what the previous authors have written. This means this story could go anywhere!**

**If you like tennis, men in uniform, heartfail or Beauty and the Beast please check out my other stories : )  
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	2. Game, Set, Match

**Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by Simone and Marie. If you would like to join this story please PM us for more details.**

**Emmett**

"Dude, gotta say. Last night? Funniest night ever!"

Ever since the J-man and I had been tasked with finding new living accommodation due to our last place being rodent infested, I have been patting us on the back constantly. Our new place was made of win! Not only did we all have double rooms and all the mod cons, we also happened to be living across the hall from 'Hot Girl Central.'

And then, to top it all off, not only did we meet the inhabitants of said 'HGCs,' we were also lucky enough to spend the evening getting to know them, which suited me fine thanks to a certain blondini that was very easy on the eyes and definitely one that I was looking forward to borrowing a cup of sugar from.

Jasper gave me his cool as a cucumber raise of an eyebrow as he worked his best domestic god status while making breakfast.

"Yeah, it was pretty cool," he replied with a smirk.

Everything to the J-Man was cool. Cowboys, history, even bread-making. The man was so laid back, he was horizontal.

"Cool? With that little firecracker glued to your side? I'd say things were getting really hot in J-Mansville!"

Jasper laughed, "Yeah, Alice is pretty full on. I kinda like it..."

"You only like it cos you know you're onto a good thing!" I said as I threw a dish cloth at his head. "But Bella? She was all kinds of awesome. What she did when the She Devil turned up? That girl's got some balls!"

I had never laughed so hard as I did when I witnessed Bella put Tanya in her place. I don't know what was funnier: the look on Tanya's face when Bella wrapped her arms around Edward or the fact that Edward thought he had died and gone to heaven… and hell!

"Yeah, Bella's got some guts to stand up to Tanya. That's for sure!" Jasper agreed as he finished up and put the food on the counter.

"No wonder loverboy hasn't surfaced yet. How long should we give him? Ten bucks says he won't be back before lunch!"

"Nah, he'll be back before then. In fact, that's probably him now," Jasper replied as a knock sounded on our door.

I chuckled as I went to open it, thinking of some good one-liners I could tease him with for the rest of the day.

I opened the door to see Firecracker Alice almost bouncing in front of me and the soon-to-be-love-of-my-life, blonde bombshell and sexy as hell, Rosalie, standing behind her.

"Hey, Alice. Rosalie. Long time no see..."

"Hi, Emmett. Rosalie and I are going to play squash at the local sports center and were wondering whether you and Jasper wanted to double up?"

I almost had to stop myself from falling to my knees and thanking my lucky stars. So, not only did we live across the hallway from Hot Girl Central, but two out of the three of them liked to play squash? Could this get any better?

"Hey, J-Man!" I hollered to Jasper. I wanted to see whether he was up for some boy-on-girl action on the squash courts.

"Yeah?"

"Alice and Rosalie want to know if we want to join them in a game of squash. You up for it?" I asked him before turning back to Alice and flashing her my killer smile.

"He'll be up for it. I bet ya five dollars," I whispered to her.

"Hell, yeah," he replied as he walked toward the door. "I'd like to squash her underneath me," he mumbled low enough for me to hear.

"Well, ladies. Guess you got yourself some squash partners. I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into for J-Man and I are pretty damn good with our balls..." I smirked at both Alice and Rosalie, the latter rolling her eyes and trying to hide a smile.

"Oh, I bet you are," Rose replied back in my direction.

"Oh, I am, as you will soon find out," I shot back at her. Never mind squash, we were having our own game of verbal tennis in our hallway. By my calculations, this was thirty-fifteen to me.

"Is that so? Do I get a … test swing?"

Thirty all.

"Well, it's a known fact that the firmness of the _balls_ needs to be tested. So I'd say if you're up to the job..."

Forty-thirty to McCarty.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I have two hands. You do have two _balls_ to test?"

Deuce.

I smirked. "Oh, I have two very round, very firm, very big _balls_ that need testing with some urgency, actually..."

Advantage McCarty.

Rose stepped closer in front of Alice and whispered, "Well maybe I'll blow on them before my hand gives your balls a good test run."

I could hear Jasper snickering behind me as I tried to think of a good comeback. "Looks like Rose has definitely won that round, McCarty. Well played. I've never seen my boy speechless before!"

Rose blew on her knuckles and polished them on her shirt, "What can I say? I'm always up for a good... hand job."

This time, Jasper didn't even try to hold in the laughter, and, before long, Alice and Rosalie had joined in at my expense.

I shook my head at the three of them. "You may have won this round, Rosalie, but we'll see who's king of the squash court," I replied whilst conceding defeat.

Alice clapped her hands and bounced on her feet some more. "Awesome! We'll knock on your door in about twenty minutes. Be sure to dress for the occasion!" she said before spinning around and running back into her apartment. I let my eyes linger on Rose who stood with her arms crossed and her brow raised before she licked her lips slowly and turned to follow Alice.

"Dress for the occasion? What the fuck does that mean?" Jasper asked me slowly as his eyes bore into Alice's very cute ass.

"Hell if I know," I replied as I watched Rose shimmy back to their apartment.

After whooping and offering many more congratulations to each other, Jasper and I continued eating our breakfast, putting some aside for loverboy after he finally decided to return after his eventful night. I swear, Edward only needed to blink at a girl, and they were falling over him backwards. Too bad his panty dropping smile didn't come with a filter. We could have all have avoided the misfortune of knowing the She Devil if it did.

As we finished breakfast, Jasper went off for a quick shower before changing into his sports gear. I had to rib him about that one. Taking a shower _before_ getting all hot and sweaty during a game of squash? He tried to brush it off by telling me that he had to get the cooking smell off him, but who was he kidding? We both know he wanted to smell of Eau du Charm so he could woo Alice. J-Man's pulling techniques were allegedly legendary: raise of an eyebrow, dimpled smile, and smelling desirable. Dude is one smooth fucker!

Just as I was about to head to my room to change into my running shorts, there was another knock at the door. Christ, Alice was keen. She was eight minutes early, not that I was complaining. I was eager to see Rosalie again, especially with the prospect of seeing her in her sports clothes. I could imagine those long, toned, tanned legs in a short tennis skirt, and those ample, perfectly formed breasts in a tight shirt. Oh, yeah. This squash game was going to be very enjoyable indeed.

I opened the door and the sight that greeted me stopped me in my tracks, my jaw dropping open and all the breath running out of me.

Oh, fuck! Fuckity, fuckity, fuck! Of all the Goddamn world's worst bad timing ever, this just had to happen now. She just had to turn up out of the blue now. Today. After all this time.

"Irina?"

"Hello, Emmett."

I gulped. Hard. Twice.

"Um... What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"Da you's husban, no?"

I was about to answer when Jasper came jogging out of his room, undoubtedly thinking that our visitor was Alice and Rosalie. No such fucking luck. As soon as Jasper caught sight of Irina, he stopped in his tracks. As soon as his eyes trailed down to her stomach - her very, very pregnant stomach - his jaw dropped to the floor.

"Um, Irina, this is my housemate, Jasper. J, this is my... um... wife... Irina."

Jasper looked from Irina's belly to me, back to Irina, then to me, and then back to Irina again. If the situation didn't involve me, it would have actually been really comical. Finally, he looked back to me, his eyebrows raised so fucking much they got lost in his hairline, before mouthing to me, "Your _wife?"_

I gave him my best shut-the-fuck-up look before turning back to Irina who was still standing in the hallway.

"Um, I guess you should come in..." I mumbled to her.

Irina walked in and found the nearest empty spot to sit. She looked around before making eye contact with me. "I wid beby. See?" Irina said as she pointed to her bulge.

"Um, yeah, I see that," I replied before muttering under my breath, "How could anyone _not_ see that?"

Just as I was about to ask her how the hell she found me, Jasper coughed purposefully and indicated with his head that he needed to speak to me in private. Yeah, I bet he did.

"Dude, you're _married_?" he exclaimed as I followed him into the kitchen.

"Um, yeah...?"

"Um, yeah? What the fuck, dude? Who is this chick?"

"She's just some chick that I met while working during summer vacation a couple of years ago. She needed help, and I needed cash," I told him with a shrug.

"Dude," Jasper said as he ran his hands through his hair. "So, you what? Married her?"

"Um, yeah..."

Before Jasper could continue with his line of questioning, I continued. "Look, man. She needed a green card so she could stay in the US, and I needed cash to pay off the debts I had racked up. She was a sweet girl, and I liked her so I helped her out. That's all it is."

"Except she just showed up on your doorstep very fucking pregnant... Hello, child support!"

I ran my hand through my hair. "Yeah, not entirely sure what happened there. Believe me. When I last saw her, she was very un-pregnant. Babies weren't part of the contract. And I have no fucking clue how the hell she found me, either... The deal was we had to act like man and wife for a few months, then that was it. Deal done."

"You are so screwed... and you didn't even get to enjoy the commotion."

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know," I sighed.

"Ever think you might want to tell us - you know, your friends - that you were married?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, man. It just never came up in conversation."

"Oh, yeah. I can totally see what you mean. I mean, how do you drop that into conversation... _'Hey, guys. I just wanted to let you know that I'm married...' _Yeah that wouldn't work."

I exhaled as I rubbed the back of my neck anxiously. "It was just something that... wasn't meant to be public knowledge, you know? I mean, it was Irina, me, and a couple of witnesses. That kind of thing. No big deal."

"Last time I checked, we were best friends. Just thought this would be something you'd share. I mean, shit! You've cheated on your wife... like a lot!"

I had to laugh at that. After all, Jasper had a point. I was definitely no saint, and I had, technically, cheated on my wife. More than once.

"Yeah, I guess I should have said something... I just didn't know how you would have reacted. It's not every day your very young and very single best friend announces he's a married man." I paused. "Look, man. I need to find out what the hell she wants. Do me a favor, and don't say anything... to anyone."

"Yeah, good luck with that, daddy!"

I flipped Jasper the bird as I walked back to Irina who was still sitting on the couch. "So, um, Rini. Not that I want to be blunt, but... What are you doing here? 'Cos, you know, child support wasn't part of the deal..."

"Sign dees," she replied handing me a stack of papers. "I need husban for beby. Not you."

I took the papers from her hand, read them through, and nearly fist pumped when I realized what they were. Divorce papers. She was divorcing me. Wait... She was divorcing me? What? Was my marriage not good enough for her anymore? Not that I cared (much). I mean, I didn't particularly want to stay married to someone I didn't live with, nor spoke to, nor saw, nor kept in contact with, but, even so, part of my ego was a little bit wounded that she was ending it and not me.

"You want a divorce? Rini, are you sure you still don't need my help?" I asked. I had to cover all bases before I autographed every single damn piece of paper in that stack.

Irina shook her head. "I hab man. We gets da marry, yes."

"Is he good to you, Rini? He's going to look after you and the bubs, right?"

One last double check. I was doing my duty as the caring, loving soon-to-be-ex-husband.

"He lubs me good. You wid me, Emmett, no good."

"O-kay..." I replied as I grabbed a pen from the coffee table and started signing the papers, relief flooding through me with the knowledge that I was soon to be a very free, very un-married man again.

"So, do you have a name for junior?" I asked as I finished signing the last sheet of paper and handed them back to her.

"Is girl, Aleksy. You like, yes?"

"I think it's real pretty," I told her as we both stood up, and I walked her to the door.

"Um, I know technically we won't be married anymore, but will you send me a picture? You know, when she's born?" I asked her. We may soon be newly divorced, but Irina was still a friend and someone I would like to keep in touch with - legitimately, this time.

"I give photo of beby." Irina turned to me. "You hab gir?"

I smiled bashfully, feeling my cheeks turn a shade of pink as I thought of Luscious Rose across the hallway. The way she talked, the way she walked, her quick thinking wit, her long blonde hair, her never ending legs...

"I'm working on having a girl..."

"Da. Is good. Lucky girl, I know. I miss you all da time. We friend, yes?"

"Of course, Rini. We'll always be friends," I said as I opened the door for her and pulled her into a hug.

"You da best husban, I lub you forever."

"Love you too, Rini," I replied as I gave her a kiss on her cheek and was greeted by another clearing of a throat.

A very female, pissed off clearing of the throat.

A very blonde female, pissed off clearing of the throat who happened to be standing at the door of the apartment opposite me.

Ah, shit…

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**A/N: A huge thanks goes to our Beta Supreme MariahajilE for her awesomeness. We know some of you may have been expecting an Edward POV, but we wanted to have some fun with Emmett...! To the author's who are after us on this collaboration, let us know if you want to brainstorm ideas concerning his little... um... dilemma... ;)**

**If you like Dirty Dancing, Rockstars or men in uniform, be sure to check out our other stories, details can be found on our blog www (dot) simoneandmarie (dot) com**


	3. Talk About Explosive

**Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by Lilyd09. If you would like to join this story please PM us for more details.**

**Chapter 3**

**Edward**

I woke up to a throbbing headache. The uncomfortable position I woke up in was threatening to give me a stiff neck and a tiny silver of light was peeking through the thick curtains. None of those would have been enough to wake me up after the extraordinary amount of beers I had yesterday. No, I woke up because of the tingling sensation, that slowly became fire, running all over my body, starting right from my chest and exploding through every cell in my body.

I opened my eyes to find a small hand over my chest, feeling me up. I was producing an amazing feeling that was making all coherent thought disappear. Memories from the previous night started flooding my mind. We moved into a new apartment, met our very hot and feminine neighbors, had some beers, Tanya showed up and Bella… oh my God, Bella, what a unique creature! There were no words to describe her, she is so carefree, fun, smart, beautiful, with an amazing curvy body, long chestnut hair and deep chocolate-brown eyes that drive me crazy. I had to stop this before I lost control.

"Not that I mind you doing that, but…what the hell are you doing?" I said trying to keep my voice under control.

Her eyes flew open as I moved to the side trying to compose myself without being too obvious. She trailed her eyes all over my body, her face filled with confusion as she saw what I noticed on that instant, we where both on a semi-naked state.

She screamed and cut off my view of her assets as she pulled the covers over her chest.

"Edward…did we…" She motioned between us "I mean did we….have sex?"

I tilted my head to the side, confused as hell. Did she think I took advantage of her? Would she regret it if we actually had sex? Did she not feel the connection like I did? What could possibly be so wrong about it? By the time all the questions registered through my mind, anger started rising and all I could see was disgust from her, as if being with me would be a capital crime or something.

"Well, why don't you tell me, you where the one who dragged me here after all!" I exclaimed out of nowhere. As a matter of fact, I followed her willingly as she was giving me the tour of the apartment.

"Oh yeah, because you gave much of a fight!" She was getting angry too.

"So, you're the victim here? So tell me, is this all it takes? A couple of beers and you're good to go?"

"You bastard!" She sucked in a breath, furiously, "I am not some cheap whore, if that's what you're trying to say!"

"Ha ha ha," I said sarcastically.

"Get the fuck out of my room!"

"As much as I have _enjoyed_ your company, I was about to do that!" Maybe I was pushing it a little.

I got up from the bed and started pulling my pants and shoes on, not caring about being naked in front of her. When I was about to put my shirt on, I turned to Bella and found her mouth slightly open, shamelessly staring at my bare chest. I smirked as her eyes met mine and she looked away quickly and crossed her arms, ignoring my mere presence. I walked towards the door but she stopped me.

"Wait!" I turned around to face her. "You can't leave this room before you tell me exactly what happened." Her eyes narrowed as she pointed me with her finger.

I tried to glare back at her, but somehow watching her angry only managed to get me aroused. I sighed as I responded, "look, Bella, nothing happened. We kissed and somehow along those minutes we kind of undressed…" It was a huge understatement, our kisses where so urgent and passionate that at some point we ended up in the bedroom thinking that our clothes where too heavy for our own health. "You got under the covers as I took my shoes and pants off and when I turned around, you where snoring."

"I do not snore!" She started protesting, but I cut her off.

"Honestly, we where both so wasted that I collapsed right after you did."

I had no idea how things had gotten so out of control, one moment we where talking, the next second, we where practically assaulting each other! She let out a long breath and her expression turned to relief. Ouch.

"So, I guess I'll leave now."

"What time is it anyway?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," I mumbled.

She turned towards her alarm clock. "Wow. Two forty five!"

Without looking back I exited her bedroom and her apartment altogether. To be fair, this has been the shortest walk of shame that I've ever made. Not that there had been some shameless, ruthless action going on…

As soon as I got out, the scene that was displaying right in the hallway practically made my balls shrink along with Jasper and Emmett's. Rosalie was giving Emmett a death glare that could probably make hell look like a freaking five star hotel. Her hands were folded in front of her chest and Alice was there, obviously giving her some sort of moral support. I tentatively took a few steps forward, but kept my distance nonetheless.

"I swear, it's not what it looks like!" Emmett said as if it was the thousandth time he'd said that.

"We already heard that and I told you I don't care! You are free to do whatever you want. Hell, you could be a bigamous and it wouldn't really be none of my business." Rosalie stated and moved as if to leave.

"Rose, wait!" She looked like she was about to explode in anger. Whatever the situation was, I was glad I wasn't there the whole time.

"It's Rosalie, by the way, but feel free to call me Miss Bobbitt," she smirked and turned to leave once again.

Wow, that girl is capable of pulverizing balls.

"But girls! Come on, wait!"

He just didn't know when to stop.

"Now what, Emmett?" This time Alice spoke, eyeing Jasper and winking at him.

"Are we still game?"

_Uhm… knock, knock… is someone home? No, sorry, Emmett's brain has been disconnected due to lack of use; please feel free to contact customer's service._

I had to admit that even if I were completely lost at the whereabouts of the discussion, it would actually be entertaining. I kind of felt like the classic, nosy neighbor who watches everything from the window.

Rosalie took a step closer and spoke in a sarcastically sweet tone. "Hum… No, sorry, but there won't be any _squashing._" She turned around and almost crashed against me, as she dragged Alice down the stairs. It was only then, that I realized they were wearing 'sporty' skirts and tight little blouses while carrying racquets.

The guys were staring at their figures leaving. When they were out of sight, I heard a loud thud and found Emmett rubbing the back of his head, scowling at Jasper, who returned it.

I walked towards them. "Hey guys, what's up?" I asked trying to appear casual.

"Well, your best friend here, just ruined what could have been an amazing day for squashing because his smart ass decided it was a great idea to get married, leave a woman pregnant and receiving a visit from the said woman mere minutes before he tried to cheat on her!" Jasper exclaims in one breath.

I start chuckling at their fucked-up dates. I felt better knowing that I wasn´t the only one having a little trouble in that area. And just like that, as my mind registers what Jasper said, I choked on my own saliva, coughing uncontrollably.

"What the fuck Emmett! Wife?" My eyes wandered from Emmet to Jasper, back and forth, _un-fucking-believable_! "Wife?" I manage to say in between fits of coughing.

"Well thank you very much dude, that was really mature! So much for keeping it a secret, don't you think?" He said slapping Jasper's forehead.

"Cause, yeah dude, it was such a fucking secret!"

"So you were planning on keeping this from me? And who is this woman anyway, and what the hell crossed your mind? Married, living _La Vida Loca_, while that poor woman's pregnant and probably needing someone by her side…"

He looked offended by my comment.

"First of all, I was just trying to help her when I married her! Second, she is a good friend and her name is Irina, not 'the random woman I married'. She's a good girl, as for the baby, trust me, I would definitively be aware if it were mine, but considering we had nothing to do with the _horizontal dance_, I highly doubt my sperm has the kind of power of implanting itself telepathically," he paused "finally, we're divorced now." That actually made sense.

"I still can't believe you kept this from us." I wondered out loud.

"I can't believe you freaking ruined my day," Jasper added as he plopped into the couch.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore, okay?" Emmett said as he went to his room and locked his door.

After I took a quick bath I went out for a walk, I'd had a lot to take in. I stopped dead on my tracks when at the middle of my walk I ran into Tanya. Literally, I wasn't paying attention and she crashed right into my chest. She looked at me pissed, probably about to insult the living crap out of me, when she recognized me, took a step back, pushed right past me and left without a word.

She was mad at me, but I couldn't find it in me to care, I was relieved to finally be able to get that stalking bitch out of my life. And it was all because of Bella, the little show last night had caused quite an impression on her.

As the thought entered my mind, I couldn't stop thinking about Bella and her smile, her eyes, her hair, her shirtless body pressing to mine, and me being able to feel the heat of her bare skin against mine even with my shirt as a barrier, her hands travelling my body. She invaded my every thought and I had no idea of what to do. On my way back, I stopped and bought a single red rose. I was planning on giving it to Bella, that's how I got myself just standing there, in front of her apartment door, without any idea of what I could I possibly say. As was about to knock, the door flew open, revealing _her_ wearing black yoga pants and an oversized green shirt. Even in that outfit, she looked beautiful.

Her expression was blank as she takes in my stance.

"Hi," I said, not being able to articulate any other word.

"Hi," she answered me back.

I handed her the rose I remembered I was carrying. "I brought you this, I think I should thank you, because of that Tanya thing yesterday, I saw her today and she wants nothing to do with me." I smiled genuinely.

She smiled back. "Sure, no problem, anytime." She winked at me.

I was a little taking aback by her comment. She was acting all Katy Perry on me, with so much hot and cold going on.

"Hey, about this morning, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause such a shitty first impression." Although, we where past first impressions by that time. She blushed that distinctive shade of pink and diverted her gaze.

When she returned her eyes to meet mine, she spoke again. "Don't worry, let's just forget about that." She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.

Forget about it! _Forget about it? _Unbelievable, she wants to forget about it and all I've done is dwelling on it all day long!

"Was it that bad for you?" I blurted before I could stop myself. Seriously, I think I go brain dead every time I get near this girl!

She blushed even deeper. "No," She said in a small voice.

"Then why the whole aversion towards me this morning?"

"I don't know, I guess I was sort of confused and finding you there and if something had happened, it was something I would really want to remember." She smiled softly. "Besides, I kind of like you, which confuses me because we just met."

"Really?" My smile was so big that I even felt my eyes disappear behind it. She nodded. "I kind of like you too."

She smiled back at me, looking a little shy, not at all like the vixen I'd met yesterday, who had everything in control.

All of the sudden her expression turned hard. "Hey, would you care to explain why is Rose being more of a bitch than she already is? She said it's nothing, but I know it's got to be something. Alice was going to tell me but instantly shut up when Rose threatened her, so I just basically know that they went by your place."

I sighed. "It's a long story."

"Well I have plenty of time."

"Care to hang out and go grab something to eat while I explain? I'm kind of hungry and I know you'll start bombarding with questions," I said using this to take her out on an unofficial first date.

"Fine," she giggled.

"Okay, I'll come and get you in about half an hour. I' need to get a shower and change. I'm kind of sweaty and gross, I went for a walk a while ago."

"Fine, then it's a date." She blurted out.

"A date…" I repeated as if I were dumb.

"Or not, I mean, I don't know, we'll just hang out then, or whatever…" She continued rambling, but I stopped her.

I leaned down and softly pressed my lips to hers, maybe I was a little too forward, but I thought that it wasn't possible to fuck this thing we had going on even more. I'd already slept in her bed.

The kiss only lasted about two seconds and I pulled away, not wanting to push my luck.

"Bella, it _is a date," _I whispered in her ear. She shuddered not out of cold. I smiled and pulled away reluctantly, leaving soon to be able to see her sooner.

"Fine," she said a little breathless. Before I could digest what was happening, she fisted my shirt and pushed me towards her, without a second thought she kissed me furiously pulling me closer to her by tugging me by my hair. After the second that it took my mind to comprehend what was going on, I responded with the same eagerness and closed every tiny bit of space between us, holding her against my body, trapping her between my body and the wall. She pulled herself off the ground and circled me with her legs around my waist, I needed to breathe, but there was no way I was stopping that make out session. Just like before, her skin against mine felt like fire making my blood boil and causing me to almost explode in pleasure right there and then, until we were reminded suddenly that we were in the hallway.

"Ahem," I heard someone clearing their throat. What the fuck?

Bella quickly pulled away and turned to scowl to whoever interrupted us.

"Why, hello there Bella." A dark, tanned, tall man said.

Bella blushed and I could see a little bit of embarrassment in her eyes when she realized that indeed we were making quite a public display.

"Hi, Jake," she said dismissively. She turned to me and placed a soft peck on my lips.

"Hurry up," she whispered and disappeared into her apartment.

I needed a moment to catch my breath, so I just leaned into the wall as our neighbor just kept walking, disposed his garbage and left.

"Oh my God! Was that Jake?" I hadn't heard the girls approaching, but to be honest I was too distracted replaying what just happened.

_Bella likes me. Bella wants me. Bella's going on a date with me._

I just nodded to answer their question.

"Oh my God!" Alice squealed. "Did Bella see him? She had a huge crush on him for ages!" She giggled as Rosalie elbowed her ribs.

"Ouch!" She whined as she stared at Rose, who just shot her a knowing look. "Oh," was all she responded.

I swear girls are just weird, they have this whole code and signs that mean so much that I have never been able to understand. Us, guys, we are practical, we only have a few signs: round our hands as if we're grabbing two melons, as in boobs, doing the same but putting the hands a little lower, as in butt, if we have an amused expression it's because it's huge and if we look bored then it's too small; finally, a pat on the shoulder means _go for it, I'm proud_, and there is the occasional '_thumbs up'_.

I smiled smugly at the girls and mumbled a goodbye as I practically ran to my own apartment to have shower and change as soon as possible. I was so eager to see Bella again that I didn't even bother on trying to comb my hair decently; it always went back to the same.

I looked at myself at the mirror to make sure I didn't forget something crucial as wearing pants or having matching socks. I was satisfied to find myself looking pretty decent in a grey polo shirt, deep blue jeans and black shoes. All in fifteen minutes and thirty seconds!

_Humph, Jake, you have nothing against me! _I chanted in my head as I walked towards the door. She didn't even look like she cared he was there, she was about to rip his head for interrupting us!

I knocked three times and waited. Forty three seconds later, the door was yanked open and Bella stood there in all her glory.

_Is it possible that I'm having a heart attack? _It sure felt so.

"Ready?" She asked after scanning my whole body up and down shamelessly, she liked what she saw. I did the same, she looked awesome in her strapless white dress that stopped right above the knee; flat white sandals and her hair in a messy bun that left some strands fall softly on her shoulders. I never registered before what a girl was wearing.

"Sure," I said as I extended my left hand to grab hers, trying to sound nonchalant about our date.

"Where to?" She asked curiously.

_This is going to be an interesting night, _I told myself as I watched her in awe.

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_**A special thank you to my super beta Nofrure, she's awesome! :D **_

_**Hope you liked my contribution ;) if you did, come on and meet my Dogward … hahah yeah, I actually made Edward a dog! :) **_


	4. Once Upon A Dream

Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by DaniaMCullen . If you would like to join this story please PM us for more details.

Please read A/N at bottom!

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**Tanya POV**

"Shit, shit,shit,shit…" I said under my breath and walked away faster; I wanted to look back but didn't dare to.

Damn it all to hell, I could have gotten caught. I knew I was taking a chance doing that shit during daylight but I didn't have any other choice. I want to just go up there, hide out and chill. I still hadn't found all of the good hiding places there, especially since they lived upstairs and not on the ground floor like they did at their other place. At least there I could sit under his window or any of the windows behind the bushes and listen in, he never knew I was there.

"Oh, Edward, I am always here for you my sweet, sweet, darling. I know you love me, you told me you did, once. Why do you have to torture us both so much? Why can't you just admit your feelings for me again and just come back to me?" I said out loud, wishing that I could say those words same words to him, however, only the wind, trees and buildings heard me.

I went to my car to get my bag, my special bag. It had everything I needed. A blanket, a pillow, some granola bars, some water, Gatorade, some magazines, a little book light. Everything I needed to stay by my Edward, to be in his life the only way I could be.

Back at my house after a normal day of keeping an eye on Edward I had gathered up the rest of my supplies I needed. I loved the internet, it allowed me to get the items I wanted without someone giving me the odd look or having to explain what I was getting them for. Most people got what I have when they were private investigators or work for some government job. I used it to make sure Edward was okay. I had to always make sure that he was okay; my life would never be the same if something happened to him.

So I did what I had to. Even if that meant buying spy equipment, stuff like a Super Ear so that I could hear him even when I wasn't near the door or he wasn't outside, and a reverse peephole viewer, it let me see inside through the peephole and he never knew I was there. Oh and one of my favorites the pinhole mini camera that I put in his house, especially the one in his bathroom, even though I never did figure out how to get it in the shower without getting fogged up. I at least got to see his naked ass, just wish I could have seen more of him.

My bags packed, a couple change of clothes included, some more magazines and books and more snacks and I was on my way, headed back to Edward's, the love of my life, my soul mate.

Some people might ask why I sat and waited for someone who didn't show me any interest, but what they didn't see and what they didn't know is how good we were when we were together. Edward knew it, I knew he did, I just had to get him to realize it again.

When I went to his door and saw that skank hanging off of him I about threw up in my mouth. How dare she hang on him like he belonged to her, couldn't she see he was happy to see me there? He was surprised at first sure, but he was happy, I could see it in his face. When he opened that door and the air whooshed by him, I got to smell him again. It was such a relief; it had been a while since I'd seen him or smelled him, I wouldn't have known where he was if it wasn't for his mom Esme having told me. She's such a sweet woman and I couldn't wait till she is my mother-in-law.

I finally ended up back at Edward's place and got into my spot. I realized I was going to have to do something about that whole situation. The weather was going to get cooler and I didn't want to freeze my ass off. I started to wonder if there were any apartments nearby, like on his floor, that I could rent, not to move into, just somewhere I could go so I could still keep an eye on him, but out of the elements.

I pulled all my spy gear out and got set up. I had my blanket on the floor, stuff to keep me occupied during the night while he was sleeping. I slept where he was at; I never slept in my own bed anymore. I had to be there to make sure I could help him; no one else could help him like I could.

After a while I heard him talking and then I heard her voice, _her_, ugh, she made me so sick. What did he see in her? She was not pretty, she was short, shorter than me, and she wasn't as skinny as me either. I really couldn't see why he had even wasted one second on her. I just had to work harder to make him realize what a mistake he was making. I heard them talking and mentioning something about going somewhere.

What? Going somewhere? How? Where? Shit, this meant it was time to pack up and get in the car and follow him. I had wished he would have said where he was taking her; it would have made things so much easier for me.

I quickly gathered up what I needed and ran to my car, making sure he didn't notice me. Luck was on my side and they took his car, I could pick out his car anywhere, so if I happened to lose him I could find it just by driving around. I wouldn't need to worry about that though, because I had put a low jack on his car. I could find him anywhere he went.

I had hoped he wasn't taking her anywhere he'd taken me before. That would really have hurt and I wasn't sure I could handle that.

As it turned out, there was little traffic out that night on our way to the restaurant he was taking her. I parked my car just a few spaces ahead of his after he parked and waited till they were inside before I got out. I'd hoped he'd get a window seat, he always did when we were together, hopefully that hadn't changed since then, I loved watching him while he ate.

The way his jaw moved, that sexy, angular jaw, I especially loved it when he ate something with his fingers, seeing his hands near his mouth just made me all kinds of tingly and happy. He was one sexy specimen of a man; I have always known that and appreciated it. It was as if his body was made for just me, for my appreciation.

As I had hoped and figured would happen, he sat next to the window. He once told me it's because he liked seeing out, seeing what was going on in the world. It kept him involved or some shit like that. He could get a little too deep on me sometimes.

I sat and watched them, watched him flirt, saw him smile at her, doing all the things he used to do with me, and that he would do with me again, I just knew it. He needed to get away from his friends so that they'd stop putting all kinds of shit in his head. When I watched the videos from their other apartment, I saw where they used to say shit about me, put me down, and said I was a crazy, psycho bitch. That hurt, hearing them say stuff like that, especially since it's not true.

I loved Edward; I have loved him since I first laid eyes on him. He was made for me, we're meant to be together. Just because I followed and watch him didn't make me crazy or psycho, it just means I cared about him, I needed to be in his life, and even though he didn't realize it, he needed me in his. He had me, the little things I had done for him, the things that made him have the quizzical looks on his face when he saw it. Left his favorite candy at his door step, washed his clothes for him, stocked his fridge with his favorite beer and snacks.

I did all those things for him, and he didn't even realize it was me, I heard him thank his friends, but of course they had no idea what he was talking about. They didn't do it, I did. He has never said anything about not wanting it, so I kept doing it. I would continue, forever and ever, because I loved him and he deserved it.

Before Edward, I went out all the time, I had friends, loved ones, and I was close to my family. But I didn't need them anymore; I needed Edward, so all my time was spent with him. My family called me, my old friends thought I was weird and told me they were tired of hearing Edward this and Edward that, mostly after we broke up, but I think they were just jealous they didn't have someone like him and I did.

Dinner was finally over, we ended up heading somewhere, and I had no idea where, the restaurant was too busy for me to single out their conversation with my Super Ear, so I just waited and watched where his car was going using the low jack program on my phone and followed that way.

We pulled into a little mom and pop ice cream place. I actually loved that place, Edward use to bring me here sometimes, said they made the best ice cream ever. I wish he hadn't taken her in there, it was our place, and I didn't want him to share it with her. It's not right; when we get back together I'll have to let him know how much he hurt me when he took her there.

They had their ice cream and left again. I sat for a while, not in a hurry to go because I was a little upset that he had taken her to our spot, of all the places, somewhere I really enjoyed. I snapped out of it a few moments later and looked at the map to see where he was, it showed he had gone home so I headed there too. I was glad I waited afterwards because my mind had begun wandering and I thought of them having an end of date kiss and I just knew that I wouldn't be able to tolerate that. I would have had a hard time keeping my mouth shut.

I got back just in time to see them go into their apartments, they weren't having a sleep over or a night cap thank God. I needed a few moments to clear my head, to focus on what I was doing. I wanted to hear what he had to say about their date, so first things first I needed to get my Super Ear so I could listen in. I really wanted to see what was going on, see his expressions, see his face when he was talking, even if he wasn't talking about me.

I almost regretted listening in the second I heard her name. He couldn't stop talking about her and this and that. Shit, enough already, you went out to eat, had ice cream yadda, yadda, yadda. I had to take a break from hearing about their date so I picked up my journal and started writing. I kept very good notes on Edward, his likes, and dislikes, in music, clothes, food, and drink. You name it; I could tell you everything about the man that you wanted to know. A good girlfriend, future wife, should always know the person she is going to spend the rest of her life with, so I made it my job to find those things out.

I also knew his schedule, what time he got up, what time he got up to go pee in the middle of the night, what time he went to work, went to the gym, went out with the guys. I knew his routine, however I had to also learn his friend's schedules as well, otherwise I might get caught one time going into their apartment. They didn't know that I was always able to get into their place. I don't know how they didn't; they must be dumber than I thought. Though I was pretty thorough in making sure I wasn't detected. I didn't want them to make it more difficult for me in the future, so I left minimal trace of myself.

Edward's room was the only room that you would be able to tell I was in there if you looked close enough. I would lie in his bed, wrap up in his blankets, smell his pillow then rub my head on it so that he could smell me while he slept. I would put on a few of his shirts so that I could smell him against my skin, I even borrowed a few of them to wear and would then wash them and return them only to get some more. I always slept in them too; I had to feel him against me, just like when we were together.

When those three girls entered the lives of the men I had known for years, my world got turned upside down. I will never forgive them, especially that brunette bitch. She is the one who stole my Edward from me, that slut, whore, skank, bitch.

"_Tanya darling, can you come here please?" he said in his sweet loving voice._

"_Of course Edward my love, be there momentarily" I smile, so happy to have him back in my life the way he should be._

_I walked into the bedroom where he was and let out a small gasp. The room was lit with candles all around, flower petals strewn across the floor and bed, a bottle of wine and two glasses sat on the bedside table along with some chocolate covered strawberries, some gourmet cheeses and crackers and some bottles of water. Bottles of water, which could only have meant one thing. He planned an all night event for us. I love when he did things like that for me; he was so sweet and loving to me._

"_Edward, oh my god, its…it's… breathtaking my love. You blow me away, how did I not hear you do all this?"_

"_Anything for you, my love. The best for you! I'm glad you liked it. I've planned this for some time now. All the time we were apart, I thought of nothing else but how to make you happy. I don't know what I ever thought I was doing not being with you. Tonight I will show you just how much I mean it too."_

_He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me to him, he kissed me roughly but passionately, with all that he could. I enjoyed every second of it. This was where I belonged, this was where he belonged and he'd finally figured it out. _

_His hands trailed up my back, grasped my neck and he pushed me to the bed. He landed on top of me, my legs automatically spread open to him and he was pressed against me. I could feel the hardness of him right where I wanted to. I missed that feeling, missed him inside me, and missed his mouth on me, all over me. I was ready for it. I wanted it desperately._

"_Oh baby… what are you doing out here?" I heard Edward say, which was odd since we weren't outside, I had been right underneath him._

"_Excuse me, ma'am," why was Edward calling me ma'am and excusing himself?_

I felt a shove on my shoulder, it was rough but not harsh, and someone was pushing me. How had someone gotten into our house?

"Ma'am, you can't sleep out here, this is private property. I don't want to call the cops.

"Shit, fuck, shit, damn it. Sorry…." I got up as fast as possible, still in a sleep induced buzz and gathered my shit and ran to the car. Fuck it all, I'd almost gotten caught by a neighbor. I definitely had to find a place to stay that I wouldn't be seen. As I was running down the stairs I saw that the apartment next to Edward's was vacant, something I was able to see thanks to the morning sun. I couldn't believe I fell asleep and slept all night there.

As soon as I got to my car I called the apartments and inquired about the place next to him. Sure enough, it was available and it became mine as soon as I signed the papers. Living next to him was the best thing I ever thought of. I had to move my stuff in while he was gone and those damn whores were gone too, I was going to have to learn their schedules now too, but that's okay, it's worth it in the end.

I did what I had to do when I had to do it. If that meant moving my entire life to another place, then I did it. If it meant hiding out in that place so that I wouldn't be found out, then I did it. That's what the internet and cable was for, all the entertainment anyone ever needed was there. I only used that stuff when Edward wasn't home and the others were and I couldn't go anywhere, when he was home, all my attention was on him. I watched the videos of him sleeping, eating, taking a shower, even though I couldn't see what was going on in there; I could hear it. He loved jerking off in the shower, in fact they all did.

Emmett liked dancing to girlie music while shaving and brushing his teeth, but he only did it when no one else could hear, he also was hairy and waxed his chest and did some man-scaping on his lower region. Jasper did too, the man-scaping that is, he also plucked his eye brows and dyed his hair, he's not a natural blonde after all. Those were enough to make a comedy show out of.

The ones I was interested in, all starred my man, Edward, and he was mine, all mine and would always be mine. No one was going to keep him away from me, especially not some brunette man stealer.

* * *

_**Thank you for reading my chapter in this awesome story. I am so blessed to be a part of it and if you want to be too, please contact us and let us know. We'd love to have you.**_

_**When I read the other chapters I knew immediately I wanted to do her. Take a step away from what I normally write**_

_**Sorry to those who have been waiting for this chapter. Silly me went to post it, read the email and realized I had made a boo boo… I had written the chapter in present tense instead of past tense so I had to go and go through it all again and change it to past tense, not as easy as one would think lol. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed crazy Tanya..**_

_**If you like my writing, please be sure to check out **__Nothing Else Matters__**. It is a work in progress… so bare with me on it. http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6192684/1/Nothing_Else_Matters**_

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_**I need to thank edwardsisobel for pre-reading this for me and helping me out. Thanks so much. Any and all mistakes are my own and not the result of my beta. Like I said, I changed stuff after it was edited and ready to go.**_

_**Thanks to Imheretoreview and MandyLeigh87 for setting this all up, without them it wouldn't be done. You girls rock!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by secamimom. If you would like to join this story please PM us for more details.**

Bella and I walked hand in hand out the front door of our apartment building and headed to my car. We probably could have walked the short distance to the restaurant, but I was excited to get our night together started. By the smile on her face, it looked like Bella was excited to be with me too.

"So, no clue about where we're going?" she asked as we approached my car. I squeezed her hand a little in mine and smiled at her.

"I just figured we'd head out and get some dinner. Nothing major," I told her. I knew I didn't want to go all out on this impromptu date. Hopefully I would have plenty of chances to pull out the big guns. Bella and I seemed to get along well, and maybe I could show her tonight just how great we could be together.

"Sounds good," she said, smiling, as I opened the passenger door and shut it behind her. Walking around to my side of the car, I noticed a figure dash between two parked cars. I paused for a minute to see if I could see anyone, but couldn't. Deciding it must have been an animal or something, I joined Bella in the car.

The short ride to the restaurant was quiet, filled only with the sounds of the music from my iPod. I was glad that Bella didn't feel the need to fill the air with meaningless conversation, but also couldn't help but wonder if I was boring her. It had been so easy to talk with her before. I just wondered if anything had changed.

"I hope Italian is okay with you," I said, trying to start some type of conversation. I looked to Bella as we pulled into the parking lot, but she had yet to say anything in response.

"Bella?" I said, trying to get her attention. She seemed to be off in another world.

"What? Oh yeah, Italian? That's fine," she said as we got out of the car. I walked around to her side and took both of her hands in mine.

"Is there anything wrong? I mean, have I done something? We were fine back at the apartment, but now you're kind of acting like you'd rather be anywhere but here." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. Opening them slowly, she smiled at me.

"I'm sorry. I'm just really nervous. It's been a while since I've gone out with anyone."

"Hey, there's no reason to be nervous. I haven't done this in a while either... I mean, unless you want to count Tanya and trust me, I really don't want to count her," I told her, laughing a bit. She laughed as well and pulled me toward the entrance.

The waitress led Bella and me to a table by the window and handed us menus. After receiving our drinks and placing our food orders we were finally left with a little bit of time to talk to one another.

"So Bella, will you tell me a little bit about yourself? I know you, Alice and Rose have known each other a while, but what else can you tell me?" I asked her before taking a sip of my wine.

"Sure. Let's see. I'm the only daughter of the police chief of a small town," she said, nonchalantly. I happened to be taking a drink at the moment and was thankfully able to stop myself before spitting it across the table right in Bella's face.

"Your father is a police officer?" I asked her. I could picture in my mind a beast of a man standing in front of me with a gun pointed straight at my chest, telling me to leave his virginal daughter alone.

"Yeah, he is. Why?"

"No reason," I said before swallowing hard. I knew that I didn't want to hurt Bella, but this definitely provided more incentive. Don't hurt daughter, don't die. Simple.

"Oh relax, Edward. He's harmless," she said, laughing at my expense. "Anyway, I'm an only child. My mom and dad divorced when I was a toddler. She moved to Florida and remarried a younger guy named Phil. My dad never remarried."

Bella and I continued to share small details of our lives as we ate our meal. I smiled as she told me some stories of growing up with just her dad. I made her laugh quite a few times by sharing some funny stories of growing up with Jasper and Emmett.

The waitress came by to check on our progress and asked if we would like any dessert. Bella reached to grab a menu to see what they offered, but I placed my hand over hers to stop her.

"Actually, I was thinking we could head somewhere else for dessert," I told her as she pulled her hand back. Her eyebrows rose as her eyes met mine. _Shit! I so didn't mean it like that. Not that I wouldn't enjoy it, but even I knew it was too soon for that. _

"No, no. Nothing like that. There's this great ice cream parlor around the corner, and I figured we would head there," I told her.

"I think that sounds like a great idea," she said before I told the waitress we were ready for the check. Once I had paid for our dinner, Bella and I walked hand in hand back to my car. I stopped at one point and looked around the parking lot, getting the feeling that I was being watched.

"What's the matter?" Bella asked as we started walking again. I continued to glance around us, trying to see if I saw anything out of the ordinary.

"Do you ever get the feeling that you're being watched?" Bella nodded her head and began to look around suspiciously. "Never mind. It's probably just all in my head. I get the feeling a lot now that I think about it." We finally reached my car, and I opened the door to let her in before shutting it behind her.

"Now, how about we head over and get some ice cream?" I asked her. She smiled widely and nodded her head before I shut the door.

"Let me get one cup of chocolate and one cup of strawberry," I told the attendant behind the counter. Bella had decided we should get different flavors so we could share. Who was I to refuse to share?

Once we had our ice cream, I led Bella to a booth that was close to the back of the room. She grabbed a spoon and took a bite of her ice cream and closed her eyes, moaning. My mouth opened wide and I was pretty sure that there was drool dripping onto the table.

Bella opened her eyes and smirked at me. The evil temptress knew exactly what she was doing and believe me, two could definitely play that game.

I grabbed my spoon and scooped some chocolate ice cream up and leaned toward her, offering a bite. She opened her mouth slightly as I moved the spoon closer to her. I moved my hand slightly and purposely missed her mouth, letting the ice cream leave a mark near the corner of her mouth.

"Oops. I'm sorry about that," I said, placing my spoon back in the bowl. "Let me get that for you." Forgoing the napkin, I leaned forward and kissed the corner of her mouth, tasting the sweetness gathered there. Before things could get too carried away, I leaned back in my seat and started to eat my dessert. Bella shook her head slightly and smiled at me before diving into her treat.

"So, I had a great time tonight," Bella said as we stood in front of her apartment door. Alice and Rose had already opened the door a few minutes before, wondering what was taking us so long. It seemed that neither of us wanted to end the night yet.

"Me too. We should definitely do it again sometime," I said, stepping closer to her.

"Yeah, definitely," she whispered. I leaned down slowly as she stood on her tip toes, allowing our lips to finally meet. This kiss was different than before. Gone was the urgency from before, being replaced by the promise of more to come. We both pulled away, smiling widely at each other.

"Good night, Edward," she said as she reached to open her apartment door. I stepped across the hall and stood in front of my door.

"Good night, Bella. Sweet dreams," I said as she stepped inside her apartment and closed the door. I walked inside my apartment and was immediately bombarded with questions from both Emmett and Jasper.

"So, did she say anything about Alice?" Jasper asked as he continued playing the video game in front of him.

"Yeah, did she mention Rose?" Emmett asked as he rapidly moved his fingers on the controller. I rolled my eyes as I tossed my coat and keys on the chair.

"Seriously guys? I just had a date with, quite possibly, the girl of my dreams, and all you guys want to know is if she mentioned the girls you like?" I asked them in confusion.

"Well, yeah. You didn't expect us to get all emotional and shit, and ask about feelings, did you?" Jasper asked. Emmett started laughing and I couldn't help but join in.

"Did you see fireworks? Was it magical? Is she the one?" Emmett asked in a high pitched voice, batting his eyelashes dramatically. I punched him in the arm and they both broke out in laughter again.

"Fuck you both," I said, laughing slightly. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge before sitting down and watching them play.

"For real though man, how'd it go?" Jasper asked as he sat the remote down on the coffee table. Emmett decided to go ahead and put his down too and cut the game off. I knew they meant serious business if they cut their precious video game off.

"It went great, really great. She was so funny. And she was really nice. We talked a lot about when we were younger," I told them before taking another sip of beer.

"That sounds good, man," Jasper said as he got up and grabbed him and Emmett another beer.

"But get this shit man, her dad's a cop," I told them both. Emmett had taken a large gulp of beer and sprayed it across the room.

"Holy shit! Dude, you are so fucked!" he said as both he and Jasper laughed. I shook my head and laughed right along with them.

"I hope not. She said her dad was pretty laid back, so let's just hope that's true," I said when we all finally calmed down the laughing some.

"So, are you gonna see her again?" Jasper asked me.

"I hope so. We both said we had a great time, and we seemed to get along pretty good, so yeah. I think we will."

"Maybe we can all get together and do something? I think we all get along pretty well so I figure it would be fun. It definitely wouldn't be dull," Emmett said, laughing.

"I think that sounds good. I'll mention it to Bella the next time I see her. Hopefully, it'll be sooner rather than later."

After a little more talking with the guys we all headed to bed. Sleep was hard to come by. I tossed and turned for quite a while, but thankfully I was able to slip into a deep sleep filled with dreams of the beautiful girl just across the hall.

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Bella and I hadn't been able to see much of each other this week. Tonight she was planning to come over so we could go out and see a movie or something. I really didn't care what we did as long as we were able to spend some time together.

"Emmett, I'm gonna go finish getting ready. Could you let Bella in when she gets here?" He nodded his head and waved me off, mumbling something about fucking up his video game mojo.

I was already dressed in a pair of comfortable jeans and a white undershirt. I just had to find my favorite light blue button up to go over it. I went straight to my closet where I knew I had hung it up when we moved in, but it wasn't there. I looked through all the clothes hanging in my closet only to come up empty handed.

"Whatcha doin'?" Bella asked from behind me. I had been so focused I hadn't even heard her come in.

"Just looking for a shirt to wear," I told her as I turned around to finally get a good look at her. She was dressed casually, wearing a pair of well worn jeans and a t-shirt.

"I know I put that damn thing in my closet," I mumbled to myself as I opened every drawer of my dresser and searched through it. I really shouldn't be surprised that my clothes were going missing again. It seemed to happen wherever I go. It was just weird that it was always my clothes, not Jasper or Emmett's.

"What exactly are you searching so hard for?" Bella asked, coming up behind me and running her hand up and down my back.

"It's my favorite shirt," I told her, pouting a little as I turned around to face her. She frowned with me, but then smiled widely causing me to return a smile. I leaned forward and kissed her sweetly before pulling back.

"Hi."

"Hi. I missed you this week," I told her honestly. And I really had. It had been hard knowing she was right across the hall most of the time, but knowing that we had no time to hang out.

"I missed you, too. How about we just hang out in your room. We could make some popcorn, pop in a DVD. You know, just hang out. How's that sound?" she asked me as she plopped down on my bed and faced me.

"I think that sounds like a great idea. Let me go into the kitchen and get some sodas and stuff, and you go ahead and pick out a movie." Bella agreed and I walked out toward the living room.

"Emm, Bella and I are just gonna hang out here tonight. Do you think you and Jasper could stay in here? You know, leave us alone?" I asked him as he continued pressing random buttons on the game controller.

"Yeah man. Whatever," he said, waving me off in dismissal once again. I walked into the kitchen and threw some popcorn in the microwave. While it was popping, I grabbed some sodas out of the fridge.

I walked back into the bedroom and placed the armful of snacks on the side dresser. Bella had already put in a DVD and had it at the start up menu, ready to play. She was sitting up against the head board with one of my pillows in her lap. The funny thing is though, she had a very peculiar look on her face. I didn't know whether to consider it angry or curious, or maybe a little of both.

I immediately began to run through the events of the past few minutes in my head, trying to figure out what I could have already done to fuck this night up. I walked over to the other side of the bed and sat down beside her, turning my body to the side to face her.

"Bella?" I said, placing my hand gently on her knee to get her attention.

"Edward, why does your pillow smell like perfume?" she asked me. I looked at her and crinkled my forehead in confusion.

"Perfume? What do you mean it smells like perfume?"

"I mean, it smells like fucking perfume. I know it's not me because, frankly I wouldn't wear something that made me smell like a French whore. I'm just wondering who exactly it is," she said, tossing the pillow in my lap.

I slowly brought the pillow up to my face and took a small sniff. The smell definitely wasn't Bella. Bella smelled like lavender or vanilla, or something sweet like that. Bella was completely right. My pillow smelled like some French whore had been rolling around in my bed. But I would be lying if I said the smell wasn't familiar. I just couldn't place where I knew the smell from.

"Bella, I have no idea what that smell is. I mean, you were the last woman to be in my bed. No one else has even been in this bed since we moved in and before that, it was..." I said, slowly stopping my sentence as it all clicked together. I knew exactly what that smell was. I grabbed the pillow and pulled Bella with me, walking back into the living room where Emmett was playing the video game, noticing that Jasper had gotten home as well.

"Guys, I need you to do me a favor," I said, tossing the pillow between them on the couch. "Smell that and tell me who it smells like to you." Emmett and Jasper both looked at me like I was crazy.

"I'm not smelling your damn pillow, Edward. There's no telling what the fuck has been touching that thing," Emmett said before laughing.

"Just smell the damn thing... please," I groaned. Jasper picked the pillow up and scrunched up his nose after taking a small sniff. He handed the pillow to Emmett and he did the same.

"I'm confused," Bella whispered as she held my hand tightly in hers.

"Just give me a minute. I think you might understand then," I told her. "Now, who the fuck does that smell like?" I asked the guys. They looked at me and I knew I was right.

"It smells like that fuck awful perfume Tanya always used to wear. That shit would give me a headache for hours after she left," Jasper complained. Emmett nodded his head in agreement.

"I just have one question then. How the fuck did she get in my room?"

**A/N: I just wanted to thank you guys again for the opportunity to participate in this. I had a lot of fun with it. **

**I've just completed a story recently and have another one in progress. And of course, there are several plot bunnies currently taking up residence in my mind and begging to get out, so they will be coming soon. So, if you have the chance, go check out my profile and take a read. **


	6. Along Came Charlie

**Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by KlrTwiLuver/TheBondGirls. If you would like to join this story please PM us for more details.**

**Along came Charlie**

**Bella**

So Edward wanted to know how Tanya got into his room, huh? Well I wanted to know how her cheap perfume was left on his pillow. Or maybe I didn't want to know. Either way I was feeling rather uncomfortable as I watched Edward, Jasper and Emmett pass puzzled looks at one another. Surely they weren't trying to figure out how to cover for Edward in front of me. I'd only known Edward for a few days, but he looked genuinely surprised and like he really had no idea how her funky smell was left stinking up his linens. The room remained silent as everyone appeared to be lost deep in their thoughts.

For God's sake, would someone please say something, anything? But, no one spoke a word. Confused looks seemed to the order of the day. _Okay, fine boys. I'll speak up then._

"Say Sherlock," Edward turned to face me as he gripped the pillow tightly. "So that's the lovely ex's scent on your pillow. When was the last time you washed your sheets?" I hoped that I hadn't been sitting on bedding soiled from their last tryst together. Ewwww. Just thinking that I might have sat on unclean and potentially Jack and Jill stained sheets made me a little sick. They don't have to be "downy fresh", but an occasional spin in the washer was a mandatory requirement for me.

"I'm not that much of a slob," Edward replied and rolled those gorgeous green eyes. "I'm pretty sure I washed then right after we moved in. So how the hell did this smell get on here if she's not been allowed to step foot in here?"

Edward was back to looking puzzled. I for one felt that there had to be a logical explanation.

"Maybe you missed this pillowcase when you washed everything. Let's go back to your room and look around. Maybe something will help jog your memory."

Edward followed me back to his room. He was mumbling under his breath. I couldn't make out what he was saying exactly, but the words, 'Tanya' and 'crazy' were pretty clear.

"Tanya wasn't too happy about meeting me and seemed pretty pissed that you'd moved on with someone else so quickly. But would she do something so "fatal attraction"?" I shivered when I remembered the boiling bunny scene. That movie should be required viewing before people get married. It could scare a philanderer straight.

He tossed his head back and laughed. I was momentarily distracted by his chiseled jaw line, but came back to reality when his green eyes looked straight at me and turned serious in their expression.

"She's just short of being certifiable. I wanted to break off things with her after our first few dates. But she started saying how she couldn't live without me and it, well, one thing led to another." He stopped and lowered his head. "I finally realized that I needed to break it off with her, but it took me almost a year of dating to completely walk away from her."

"Yep, she sounds like a psycho witch alright. Hate to admit it though, but she is rather pretty. Did sex with her put a spell on you or something?"

"'Or something is just about right." Moving towards his bed, Edward threw the pillow down on the floor next to the bed. "But in the end, nothing's worth being afraid of the person you're sleeping with. It just got too crazy for me and I finally ended it."

We both were standing, still glancing down at the floor. I really didn't know what to say to him. Our conversation was getting way to deep for a first date. But just as I was going to change the subject back to watching a movie or maybe going out after all, my eye caught hold of something shiny on the floor. Being nosy, I bent over and picked it up.

"Edward, does this look familiar to you?" I held out the sliver hoop earring that had a beautiful teardrop on the end and placed it in his hands. Watching his reaction alarmed me, because his tan colored skin paled as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Holy shit, Bella." His wide eyes helped me guess the next words that were starting to form on his beautiful lips. "These were Tanya's favorite earrings."

Well the guessing was over, it was pretty clear to see how the perfume of Tanya made its way into Edward's room. She had managed to somehow get into their apartment and roll around on his sheets leaving a little more than perfume as evidence of her trespassing.

"That means she got into her without your permission right?" I raised my eyebrow as I asked him.

"Of course she didn't have my 'permission." I watched as he ran long slender fingers through his hair. "Since I broke up with her, she's been persona non grata in my life."

"Obviously, she didn't get the memo on that Edward. If she did come in here unwelcomed, then that's a pretty scary line she crossed. Kind of reminds me of one those creepy Lifetime movies."

"Lifetime movies?" Edward looked at me confused and then I realized that he had probably never watched that estrogen filled cable channel.

"One of those movies where the spurned lover comes back to secretly stalk their ex. And it always ends badly." I left out the details that occurred in those movies. I thought mentioning death or dismemberment might be too much right now.

"Oh great! This is just fucking great." Edward sighed and plopped down on the bed running his fingers through his hair again. I worried that he'd have a bald spot by morning if he kept it up. "And my favorite shirt is missing too. She'd always wear it after we, uh, ya know." He paused and looked away from me sheepishly. "I'm sure she took it. She said it made her feel like she was wearing a little part of me."

"You know that there are laws against things like this." I sat down right next to him on the bed. Our legs were slightly touching and I placed my hand gently on his arm. "My father's the Chief of Police and I'm pretty sure he can give you some advice. I think we should call him. Are you okay with that?"

"God Bella. I hate to drag you into this cluster fuck. You really don't have to do this. It's asking too much." Edward buried his face in his hands.

He appeared to be at a loss, totally defeated. I moved by hand from his arm to his back and rubbed it softly. "Edward, listen. I think we should call him. I'm happy to do it for you."

"You're awesome Bella. I guess it can't hurt, but I'm not sure what he can really do for me."

"He's great at giving advice. He tells me that he's seen it all."

I picked up my cell and pressed Charlie's number. Edward watched me as I placed the phone to my ear. Luckily, Charlie answered on the second ring.

"_Hey Bells."_

"Hi Charlie. Hope I'm not calling at a bad time. Are you off-duty right now?"

"_It's as good a time as any. I had the early shift today and probably will be heading to bed soon. So tell me, how's my baby girl doing?"_

"I'm doing fine Charlie. Things are great. Actually I'm really calling for a friend of mine. He's having some ex-girlfriend issues."

"_Friend, you say. Is this friend someone that you're seeing?"_

"Not really. At least not yet. I just recently met him." I hated talking boys with Charlie and discussing Edward while he was sitting next to me was beyond painful. "He lives in the apartment across from me."

"_Okay, spill Bells. Tell me what's going on and I'll try to help your friend."_

"Well, it appears that his former girlfriend broke into to his apartment. He's found some evidence that she was in his room." I hesitated to tell Charlie the specifics. How can you explain skanky perfume scents being left on someone's pillow without sounding like you're off your rocker?

"_And she didn't live this evidence you're speaking of at another time. Before they broke up, perhaps?"_

"Always the detective aren't ya, Charlie?" Edward's eyes were fixed on my face. As our eyes meet he mouthed the words "thank you." I responded with a wink and continued to explain the situation to Charlie.

"He just moved into his apartment a few days ago and broke off his relationship with this girl before that. He's done his best to avoid her, but she knows where he lives. He swears that he's never let her cross over his threshold."

"_Well, Bells it's against the law to break into someone's house as you know, but we might need more. Did she take anything? Is there anything missing?"_

"It's odd. He's only missing the shirt she loved to wear."

"_So she took a personal item that he wore,"_ Charlie's voice was laced with concern. _"It sounds like she's obsessed with him and not willing to accept his break up with her."_

"I think you've got it." I confirmed his assumption and added. "I've met her and she's totally delusional about him."

"_Wait, Bells. Did you say you've met her?"_ Charlie's word sounded out like an alarm.

"She came to the apartment the other day. Right after Edward moved in. Edward was actually in my apartment at the time. We talked with her in the hallway."

"_That's it? Was there anymore? How'd she leave?"_

"Well, I might have convinced her that Edward and I were… _together_, together."

_"Oh good God. So his psycho ex thinks you're his new girlfriend? Her replacement?"_

"Jeez, Charlie. You're scaring me." I rose off the bed and began to nervously pace the room. "I guess that was a stupid thing to do."

_"Well it leaves me with only one choice."_ Charlie stopped and sighed. _"I'm going to do something that I swore I'd never do. Let me grab a pen and paper."_

"Sure, but what are you going to do?" I waited for Charlie's answer.

_"Alright. I need the full name and birth date, if you have it, of the crazy ex-girlfriend."_

"Are you going to run a background check on her?" I knew that Charlie was going out a limb for Edward if that's what he was doing.

_"Damn straight I am, Bells. She knows where you live and she thinks you're his new girlfriend. I worried that next she'll be slashing tires or worse. I need that information. Is he close by?"_

"He's right here with me." I quit walking and stood directly in front of Edward. "Thanks Charlie. I know that this could get you in trouble."

_"Forget it. I can do it discreetly. Put your friend on the phone, please."_

"Sure Charlie. Just a second."

I placed the phone against my stomach and gave Edward a quick rundown of my conversation with Charlie. He was stuck on how I addressed my father. It was unconventional granted, but it worked for us.

"Yes, I call my dad, Charlie. Get over it okay? He wants to talk to you and needs information about Tanya. Are you okay with that?"

"But what should I call him?" Edward asked.

"Chief, silly." Rolling my eyes at Edward, I handed him the phone.

(cough) "Hello, Chief this is Edward Cullen."

After Edward's careful introduction there was silence. I had no idea what Charlie was saying and I wished that I'd put the phone on speaker. I hoped he wasn't giving Edward the third degree.

"Yes, sir. I have all that information for you." Edward was looking rather tense and I'm pretty sure that a drop or two of sweat was forming on his forehead. "Her name is Tanya Anne Denali."

Again there was silence after he spoke her full name.

"That's the correct spelling." Edward paused, waiting for Charlie's response. "Her birthday is July 23rd and I believe she was born in 1988. She's twenty two."

"Thank you, sir." Edward nodded his head. "We'll be waiting for the call. Would you like to speak with Bella before I hang up?"

Standing up off the bed, Edward handed me the phone. "He needs to have a few words with you."

"Hey Charlie."

"_He seems like a nice enough boy. But Bells, promise me you'll be careful."_

"I promise. Cross my heart."

"_I mean it. These types of spurned lovers can do crazy things sometimes. Just keep your guard up."_ Charlie was his usual hand wringing self. _"Do you still have that pepper spray that I gave you? Please carry it with you at all times."_

"I will. It's packed into my bag as I speak." I noticed Edward staring at my bag on the floor by the foot of his bed. "So what's the next step?"

"_I'm going to run a criminal background check. I can do a state and county search fairly quickly. So I'll be calling in less than thirty minutes with any records I found on this Tanya Denali."_

"Thanks, Charlie."

As soon as I ended the call with Charlie, I walked to Edward's side. "Let's watch something on television for a while. Maybe something funny would be a good idea. I think we could both use a good laugh."

"Sounds great. But first I want to thank you. You're pretty awesome, Bella. You know that? And you're rather pretty too."

Edward closed the space between us and pulled me into his arms. It was more of hug than a romantic embrace, and somehow this disappointed me. As I felt myself melt into his arms, I knew that I wanted more from him. My hands began to lightly massage the rugged muscles of his back.

Placing a hand under my chin, he tipped my head up and our eyes met. I was lost in them and I liked what I saw there. Desire and want… for me, Bella Swan. I closed my eyes needing a break from his intense stare. I inhaled his woodsy scent, and knew that I never forget it.

I felt his breath against my face and then his lips lightly brushed against mine. It was as if he wanted permission to continue, so I pressed my lips back against his, letting him know that I wanted more and that he had my permission to continue. As we were deepening our kiss and letting our hands wander just a bit, my phone started to ring.

Breathing heavily, I pulled away. "That's Charlie's ringtone. I guess I'd better answer it."

"Hey Charlie. That was quick."

_"Isabella, I'm so glad you called me. After we got off the phone I ran her vital stats and you're not going to believe what I found." _I knew that it was serious shit when he called me Isabella.

"Hold on, please."

"Edward, it's not good."

"I'm putting it on the speaker, so Edward can hear what you have to say."

"You two ready?" Charlie was killing me with the suspense. What could really be so bad? She's only twenty-two years old.

**What skeletons are hiding in Tanya's closet?**

**A/N:**Thank you so much for reading and please review this chapter and let us know what you think.


	7. Private Peep Show

**Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by IvyandLime. If you would like to join this story please PM us for more details.**

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**Chapter 7**

**Private Peep Show**

**JasperPOV**

As Bella and Edward retreated to Edward's room, I turned to Emmett.

"What the fuck?"

He shook his head in response, a disgusted expression on his face.

"I know. To think that crazy bitch has come near my Xbox ..."

I snorted. "Somehow I don't think that's what she'd be interested in. Remember our game nights she'd invite herself to? She'd spend the whole night glaring so hard at the Xbox that I'm surprised she didn't suffer a brain aneurysm. It's like the thing had wronged her because Edward was paying more attention to it than he was to her."

"Why does he always attract the crazies? We really need to start screening his dates a bit better. If Bella turns out to be a nutjob, I'm going to punch Eddo so hard in the face it'll fuck up his good looks. No more crazy bitches will want to fuck him then."

"Bit extreme, don't you think?" I asked with raised eyebrows. "Just think about the effect that'll have on your sex life."

Emmett looked at me blankly for a moment while he processed my words. His fist connected firmly with my forearm when my meaning sank in.

"Hey! I don't need Edward to find me tail."

"How many girls have you found by yourself in the last six months?" I questioned.

"Shut the fuck up. I would have landed those even if Edward hadn't been chatting up their friends."

I rolled my eyes. "Sure."

Emmett huffed and leaned back into the couch, a serious look on his face.

"This is some fucked up shit, man. How the fuck did Tanya get in here? We've got the place locked up tight whenever we're not home."

"I don't know," I replied, more than a little worried about the security of our home. I didn't care so much if anything happened to the Xbox (though Emmett would probably mourn the thing for months), but if anything happened to my custom-made guitar or my Civil War memorabilia, I'd be more than pissed.

"So she's just been in Eddo's room, right?" Emmett asked.

I shrugged. "That's what it seems like. I haven't noticed anything different or missing in my room or out here."

"Me either."

"So she's just gone super crazy obsessive stalker on Edward and somehow got in to roll around in his sheets," I said.

"That's fucked up," Emmett stated. "That's really fucked up."

"How'd she get in though?"

Shrugging, Emmett said, "Maybe through a window?"

"We're up too high and the ledges outside are only suitable for suicidal rodents."

"She picked the lock?"

"The lock and key system is too complicated for that. Especially for her level of intelligence."

"She secretly went to Hogwarts and can Alohamora the shit out of things?"

I raised my eyebrows at him with a "you're fucking with me, right?" look.

"Hey, it could happen," he defended.

"Can you at least try and be serious?"

"I am! Hogwarts _is_ real."

"So where was your acceptance letter?" I queried.

"Duh, I'm a squib..."

I stared at Emmett in disbelief, wondering if I was hearing him correctly. "Since when are you such a big Harry Potter fan?"

"Since forever. JK Rowling is a MILF."

"And I suppose Harry's your secret best friend and you, like, totes ship Ron/Hermione because Harry/Hermione's just wrong and anyone who says otherwise is, like, totes stupid and Neville's, like, such a BAMF and you totes want to do him..."

"Fuck you." Emmett glared at me.

"We're getting off topic," I said, rolling my eyes. "We need to work out how Tanya's getting in here. It creeps me out to think she could come in while we're sleeping and just hover over Edward. What if she tried to do something to him while he's defenceless? Suffocate him with a pillow or something in a "if I can't have him, no one can" psychotic act while he's fast asleep? I wouldn't put it past her to do something like that," I shuddered at the thought, chills racing up and down my spine.

Emmett paled and a deathly silence fell over us. I knew Emmett was having the same thoughts as me. If Tanya broke in to do something harmful – or fatal – to Edward, she wouldn't just stop with him. She'd get all three of us. She knew we would suspect her of any foul play, so we'd have to go too.

That bitch needed to be locked up.

My gaze fell onto the swords that hung on the wall above the television. As I racked my brain for possible ways Tanya could be getting in, my eyes wandered over the intricate Celtic designs carved into the wooden handles. Emmett had bought them off ebay in our second year of university when he, Edward and I had first decided to move in together. He said we couldn't have a bachelor pad without swords, so they ended up being the first thing unpacked when we moved into our first apartment together. And every other apartment since.

My eyes were tracing the hilt of the bottom sword when my brain registered a tiny abnormality in what I was seeing. There was something extra sticking out between the metal of the blade and the wooden handle.

I stood up from the couch and walked over to the television, leaning over it to get a closer look at the sword. A small, round, black object rested on the metal of the sword, glinting slightly in the light of the living room. I reached out to the object with my right thumb and forefinger and was surprised when it came away easily. Twisting the object around in my pincer grip, I felt my jaw drop when I realized what it was.

It was a fucking camera.

"That bitch has been filming us," I seethed, turning around to face Emmett, the minuscule camera held up in front of me.

Emmett looked up at my words, slightly confused at being roused from his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Tanya. She's bugged our apartment. She's been filming us." I held the camera out to him. He extended his arm toward me and I dropped the camera into his open palm. He brought his hand up near his face and closely examined it.

"That bitch."

A loud thump suddenly reverberated through the walls from the apartment next door, and I heard a scurrying of feet before the sound of a door slamming met my ears. I raced to our apartment door and opened it to look out at what was going on, only to catch a glimpse of a female rushing down the hall and disappearing down the stairs. A waft of a strong familiar scent swept over me and had me gagging as I realized that I recognized the back of the woman.

Tanya.

That fucking bitch had been hiding out next door.

"I'm gonna call the cops," Emmett growled beside me. I hadn't realized that he had joined me at the door. He had obviously seen what I had seen and come to the same conclusion.

"No, wait!" I cried, as Emmett made to grab the phone. "We don't have any proof it was her. Let's see if we can get into the apartment. There might be something in there."

"You mean we're going to break into her apartment to see if we can find proof that she's been breaking into ours?" Emmett asked.

"Well...yeah," I replied.

"Won't that put us in just as much shit as Tanya with the cops?"

"First you come out of the Harry Potter closet, then _you_ question _me_ about doing something stupid and illegal...what next? You confess to taking regular ballet lessons? Jesus, Emmett. Do you want to see what Tanya has been up to or not?"

"You're really getting on my fucking nerves, Whitlock," Emmett muttered as he pushed past me out into the hall. He walked up to Tanya's door and tried turning the knob. It opened with a quiet 'click.' In her haste to vacate the apartment, Tanya must have forgotten to lock the door behind her. How convenient for us.

"It's not breaking in if it's unlocked, right?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Guess not. And besides, we can use the excuse that we heard something unusual going on and came over to check it out. So we're safe with the cops, if that's what you're worried about," I explained.

Emmett looked like he wanted to punch me.

I motioned for him to open the door fully, which he did, and we both entered. What we found inside made me want to hurl.

There were no lights on in the apartment, and yet the whole place was ablaze with blue light from the large number of computer monitors that filled the living room. The entire room was just full of screens that showed various images of our apartment, some still streaming live from inside, and others paused on different moments in time. I walked further into the room, surrounding myself with the footage of my own house. I could see Bella and Edward moving around Edward's room - Bella talking on the phone and Edward pacing back and forth – displayed on various screens from various angles. I could see flickering paused images of Edward's naked ass in the bathroom, Edward sleeping, Edward cooking pancakes in the kitchen, Edward in his tighty-whities singing into his hairbrush, Edward, Edward, Edward.

Fuck. She had placed cameras everywhere.

"Ugh. Who fucking wants to see someone take a dump?" Emmett asked as he pointed towards a screen that showed the empty toilet in our apartment. "That is seriously fucked up. I mean … ugh. This chick needs some serious mental help."

"I'll say," I agreed. "Hey Em, you got that camera still?"

Emmett handed me the tiny camera from our living room and I held it up in front of me. I suddenly saw my face reflected on five different screens.

"This is really creeping me out, man," Emmett said in a subdued voice. "This is beyond stalking – this is an extreme invasion of privacy. I really think we need to call the cops."

I nodded, unable to voice the multitude of thoughts running through my mind.

Emmett walked out to grab his cell phone, leaving me alone in the apartment. Looking around a bit more, I discovered a huge collection of spy equipment and stacks of journals that, upon flicking through, I found contained Tanya's handwritten, Edward-obsessive ramblings.

_If only Edward could remember just how perfect we are together, he would see that skank is just using him and doesn't deserve him. No one deserves him like I do. I'm the only one who can make him happy._

_I can't believe he took her to OUR ice-cream place...I'll bet she knew it was OUR place and she blackmailed him into taking her there. That's it. I know he wouldn't have taken her otherwise. It would hurt him too much, all the memories..._

_He'll see just how much I love him and he'll realize that he can't live without me. He'll take me to Italy where he'll propose on a Gondola in Venice, we'll get married in Paris, we'll have two beautiful children and we'll spend every night for the rest of our lives making sweet, beautiful love before falling asleep wrapped up in each other's arms..._

_That bitch thinks she can just waltz into his life like that? I don't think so. I'm going to get rid of her if it's the last thing I do..._

Leaving the journals where they were (scanning the first page of one was more than enough for me), I decided to venture further into the apartment. The further I went, the more disturbed I became. Image upon image of Edward lined every wall in the place. Images printed from the video footage in our apartment made up the majority of it, but others from the supermarket, the bar, Edward's parents' place, almost EVERY single place Edward had been over the past few weeks covered the walls.

I walked into the bathroom and felt my stomach plummet. It was filled with similar images of Bella, every single one of them sporting a huge black cross over her face.

Emmett was right – this was way beyond stalking. Tanya needed to be committed. The images of Edward were bad enough; obsessing over removing Bella from Edward's life was just sickening. This whole situation had taken on a new level; it wasn't just Edward who was in danger from Tanya now. Bella could be in serious trouble.

The only other item that I could see in the apartment was an inflatable mattress that lay on the floor in the middle of the living room, covered with and surrounded by mountains of crumpled candy wrappers and empty Red Bull cans. Every other room in the place was empty, save for the Edward wallpaper. There weren't even any clothes in the place. No wonder her perfume was so strong – she must have just been spraying herself with it instead of showering. I guess taking a shower would cut into her Edward-viewing time. The thought made me gag. Thinking of Tanya in general made me gag. What Edward ever saw in her I will never know.

Finding myself back in the living room, I couldn't help but look at all the images flickering on the screens before me. Edward had stopped pacing and was now talking on Bella's phone. Emmett was standing in our living room on his own phone, presumably talking to the police. There must have been another camera hidden somewhere in the living room.

I heard a door open and close from out in the hall, and watched as Alice and Rose walked into our living room and over to Emmett. I heard mumbling from the other side of the wall, but their voices were clear as day through a speaker somewhere to my right. Tanya must have heard everything Emmett and I were saying earlier; that must be why she bolted.

The voices that filtered through the speaker were soft – the volume must have been turned down so we couldn't hear from our place.

"Emmett, why's your door open? Is Jasper home?" I heard Alice ask.

I watched as Emmett shushed her with his hand, still talking on the phone.

"Yeah, we found all this surveillance equipment and stuff in the apartment next door. She's been filming us twenty-four/seven," I heard Emmett explain. He fell silent, listening for a moment. "She's been stalking him! He broke it off weeks ago, but she doesn't think he's serious. She's delusional … yeah … no … no … we won't ... yeah ... okay, Officer. Thank you."

Emmett hung up the phone and pocketed it before turning his attention to Alice and Rose.

"Officer? What's going on? Who's filming you?" Alice asked.

"Tanya," Emmett replied.

"Edward's psycho ex?" asked Rose.

Emmett nodded. "You should see what Jazz and I just found in the apartment next door. She's been hiding out there. Jazz is over there at the moment. Come on." He indicated that the girls follow him out the door.

Emmett, Alice and Rose all left the screen and appeared in person at the door near me a few seconds later.

"Holy shit ..." Rose gasped, pausing just inside the door.

Alice followed Emmett over to where I was standing, taking in the full impact of the situation.

"She's seriously been watching you all day every day?" Alice whispered.

I nodded. "Yup. Recording, not just watching," I clarified.

Rose took a few steps further into the room, her gaze focused intently on the multitude of screens before us.

"Is that … Edward's junk? Ugh … I could have done without seeing that. I'm going to have nightmares for years!" she cried.

"Edward's junk is up there? Where? I'm going to print that shit in multiple ..." Emmett cried with excitement. "That has just given me the best idea for a payback prank for the next time he dates a psycho." He started scanning each screen closely to find the one Rose had been talking about.

Ignoring Emmett's "junk hunt," Alice and Rose turned to face me, identical looks of horror on their faces.

"I can't believe she's taken it this far!" Alice cried. "I could tell she was a psychotic bitch that night in the hall, but I never thought she'd be quite so … unbalanced. Bugging your apartment? That's just … ugh." Alice shuddered with disgust.

"That's not all ..." I started, unsure if I should tell them about the pictures of Bella. "She kind of ... well … she has a vendetta against Bella. She wants her out of the picture and doesn't care how."

Rose looked like she was going to vomit.

"That bitch is going down," she growled, kicking at a few Red Bull cans near her feet. "No one fucks with my friends and gets away with it. I'll hunt her skanky ass down and-"

"OHMYGOD!" Alice suddenly shrieked, cutting Rose off mid-sentence. "IT'S A FUCKING VIBRATOR!"

She was jumping around and squealing as though trying to get away from a mouse, pointing at the pile of cans on the floor that Rose had just disturbed. Sure enough, half-buried under the debris was a bright pink, sparkly vibrator.

"EW EW EW EW EW EWWWWW!" Alice continued. "That's so gross! I think I'm going to vomit …" she broke off and ran towards the bathroom.

Rose looked down at the offending object in front of us and scowled deeply.

"She's been getting herself off to images of you guys showering? That's just disgusting."

"She's been WHAT?" Emmett boomed, abandoning his search. I pointed to the vibrator on the floor. Emmett gagged.

"It's hard enough to think that Edward actually went there … Knowing that she's using live images of us to get her rocks off makes my balls want to retreat inside my body and never come back out. That's fucking sick."

Seconds later, a loud scream echoed from the bathroom.

Alice had discovered the pictures.

She came bolting back out to the living room and ran straight into my arms, sobbing. I wrapped my arms tight around her and felt her chest heave with the strength of her despair. Stroking her hair softly, I placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head and held her even tighter.

I looked over the top of her head to lock eyes with Emmett, who had stepped up beside a very pale Rose to wrap an arm around her shoulder. I let my eyes flick between Alice, Rose, and the door before settling back on Emmett, trying to communicate with him without the girls knowing. He seemed to catch my drift and nodded.

"Alice, Rose – why don't you head back to your place and make yourselves some hot chocolate or fruity tea or some girly shit like that, and we'll come fill you in once the cops have gone," he suggested. I rolled my eyes at his sensitivity in such a serious situation and placed another light kiss on Alice's head before she extricated herself from my arms.

Alice and Rose, both too shocked and disgusted to speak, gripped each other's hands tight and made for the door, Emmett and I following close behind. They were about to open their apartment door when they were stopped in their tracks by Bella and Edward, who came bursting out into the hall.

"You will not believe what Bella's dad just told us about Tanya!" Edward cried. "She's …"

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_Dun dun dunnn ... *evil cackle*_

_I know many of you probably wanted to read about Tanya's big secret in this chapter, but honestly, I didn't think I could do that plot twist justice. So I've left that up to someone else to go crazy with. =) I felt like there was a huge lack of Jazz and Em screen-time, so I hope this has remedied that somewhat. After reading the last chapter, this little plot bunny started racing, so I thought I'd set him free rather than try and force something else out._

_And for my fellow Harry Potter fans - I was not taking a dig at the awesomeness of HP! I seriously love the Potter series more than life itself, so I thought I'd let Emmett geek out like I love to... *supercheesygrin* For the record, I will be camped out in Trafalgar Square in London from July 5th for the final ever premiere, so if any of you care to join me for some Potter finalé hijinks, look me up. =) There will be costumes, debates, awesome magical snacks and more!_

_HUGE thanks to the lovely **MandyLeigh87** and **ImHereToReview **for organising this little project. I'm so excited to be part of this awesome fanfic experience! *hugs*_


	8. Tell Me About Your Past

**Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by **SweetestLady-2030**. If you would like to join this story please PM us for more details.**

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**Edward's POV**:

I was freaking out. I'm not gonna lie – to think I've never really known the woman I spent – _wasted_ – so much time together with made my mind wander. It made me wonder where would I have ended up if I'd let our relationship continue, and how would all these secrets have come out. Granted, I never actually asked her about her past, but that doesn't really change the facts. Also, she never gave me a reason to suspect there's something wrong; at that time I was too enamored to really pay attention to her actions and think anything of them.

I might as well have signed my own referral to the mental hospital.

This was pretty much a nightmare. Tanya, the person I hoped to never see again, in _our_ apartment, in _my_ room, in _my bed_? My _bed_, the place I only wanted to have Bella in – no one else. My bed, my most private place where I thought, over-thought, dreamt and jerked off.

I'd heard these kinds of people – women in particular – tend to crawl and sniff all over various possessions of the object of their obsession. The idea of Tanya rolling around in my sheets made me very nauseous; I could've totally done without the visual. Making a mental note to replace this now tainted bed with something more appropriate for my possible future with Bella, I remembered about my absent shirt. Great. I'll have to buy a new wardrobe as well to avoid smelling like that cheap anise essence, in case she's been deeper in my closet than we initially thought.

I was confused in regards to the beautiful brunette pacing around in front of me. I knew I was glad and relieved that she seemed to believe I wasn't still seeing the crazy ex, and that she was angry with Tanya more than with me. I also knew she was too good a friend to ask her father for help, or advice at the very least. I didn't want to pull her into this mess, _my_ mess and mine alone, but it was too late now, even if I was unwilling to admit it. I cooked this shit up, and she obviously liked me enough to try to help me. So, as I internally squealed and happy-danced like a girl at the thought of her liking me, I could only pray to God that her generous offer wouldn't cost her more than her nerves and time.

"Are you going to run a background check on her?" Bella half-exclaimed, her right hand twisting in her hair. She turned on her heel and proceeded to walk towards the other side of my room. She seemed to be even more stressed out than before, and I hated doing this to her.

"He's right here with me." She stood right before me and despite the shitty situation, I found it quite hard to divert my eyes from her exquisite cleavage. I was a living, breathing man, always wishing I could've confirmed her assumption that we'd had sex the first night after meeting each other. So I couldn't really play cool and not look when she was practically sticking them under my nose. "Thanks, Charlie. I know that this could get you in trouble."

I finally found it within myself to look up from her breasts, but only settling my gaze on her pink, sweet lips, which parted after a moment again. "Sure, Charlie. Just a second."

Bella pressed the phone to her stomach to muffle any sounds and dipped her head a bit to meet my guilty eyes. "I told him about the evidence Tanya left behind," she spoke quickly and quietly, and I noticed a slight tremble as she said the T-word, "and also about your missing shirt and stuff. Charlie believes this might be a case of obsession and that she's delusional and hasn't really understood and accepted your break-up."

I nodded; I had already come to this conclusion. What stuck with me was that she apparently addressed her father by his first name, not 'Dad' or 'Paps' or whatever. I asked her why, but she just told me to get over it, and also that he wanted to have a few words with me. My damned nerves reared their ugly heads again, making me feel like going over to meet my new girlfriend's parents for the first time. What was _I_ supposed to call him?

"Chief, silly," Bella gave an eye roll and handed me her phone.

I swallowed – not all that successfully. I managed to choke a bit, so a cough was in order. She smiled into the palm of her hand, obviously finding my awkwardness amusing. Finally I felt somewhat presentable and spoke.

"Hello, Chief, this is Edward Cullen."

_"Yeah, so I hear. Nice to, um, meet you."_ There was a throat-clearing, rustling of some papers and a sigh. I glanced over at Bella, who had begun chewing on her bottom lip and looking slightly uncomfortable. My own teeth found the inside of my cheek and I looked down at my sneakers. I didn't want this conversation. If only I'd listened to everyone and stayed away from that crazy blond.

_"So, aah. My baby girl tells me you got trouble, eh. Before we get to the info stuff and everything, I gotta know if you're aware of the seriousness of the situation. I'd really like to help as much as I'm able to, for the sake of my daughter and her heart that's too good for this world. But you must understand something first, I'm risking my position as an officer over here, alright? If you're actually on one hand with your ex-lady, we'd better get off the phone now before I'm forced to get on _your_ ass." _

I already opened my mouth to set him straight, but the man didn't give me a chance.

_"Also, I gotta make sure you get what shit this could bring on my Bells' head, pardon the expression. She tells me the discussed ex is under the impression that you've replaced her with my girl. So, if that's true, not only _you_, but _she_ as well can become a victim of the woman's revenge."_

I gulped. I never, ever wanted Bella to get into this.

_"So, I think I've said all I wanted to. I'll need her birth date and full name. You got that all?" _

"Yes, sir." Bella's old man really knew how to make people sweat, both figuratively and literally as well. I felt a thin sheet of moisture form on my forehead. "I have all that information for you." This was the moment I was actually glad Tanya had shared her personal data with me. I remember her saying to me, "_Just in case anyone of us ever gets hurt, so we can find each other, baby. Just for our safety. I wouldn't want to lose you, ever."_ Oh well, guess a time had come when I could put it to use.

_"Okay, we'll start with her name."_

"Her name is Tanya Anne Denali."

_"Tanya.. Anne... T-a-n-y-a A-n-n-e D-e-n-a-l-i? That's correct?" _

"That's the correct spelling." This was easy, and I was relieved I managed to not mess this up.

_"Uh-huh... Right. Next is her birth date."_

Now this was a bit harder a question. I hoped my brain and usually so good memory wouldn't let me down. "Her birthday is July 23rd.. and I believe she was born in.." I did the math quickly, "..in 1988. She's twenty-two."

_"Twenty-third.. nineteen eighty-eight. Gotcha. I hope this works."_ He sounded optimistic, and I wanted to believe him.

"Thank you, sir."

_"No problem, son. I'll call you back as soon as I got something, 'kay?"_

I nodded, even though he couldn't see the gesture. "We'll be waiting for the call. Would you like to speak with Bella before I hang up?"

_"Yeah, sure, thanks."_

I stood, my legs shaking, and gave Bella back the phone. "He needs to have a few words with you."

She grabbed the item out of my hand like a Barbie would grab a high-heeled shoe at a sale, but her fingers lingered on mine. I noticed her eyes flickering between mine for a moment before she pressed the receiver to her ear again. "Hey, Charlie."

Bella walked a few steps away, turning her back on me, and my hungry eyes found her yummy ass. I couldn't help but regret all this shit that was happening and messing up our hanging-out. Making-out.. date... _Ah, damn. _

"I will." Her sweet voice pulled me out of my mind's confines. "It's packed into my bag as we speak."

I did a little double take. _What's packed?_ My first thought was a gun. Wouldn't be a big surprise, considering she's a police Chief's daughter. I carefully eyed her bag, as if trying to find a Glock or or something just by looking at it. Too bad I didn't have X-ray vision.

I raised my head at the right moment to notice Bella's eyes snap back to the window at the far wall of the room. "So what's the next step?" Listening, she nodded repeatedly and turned her body to me, while still looking out the window. "Thanks, Charlie."

She ended the call and threw the phone on my bed, approaching me. "Let's watch something on television for a while. Maybe something funny would be a good idea. I think we could both use a good laugh."

Oh, how I agreed with her. A silly movie would help to lighten our moods, though I could think of an even better pastime to distract us.

I took a step, reaching out my hand to grab hers and pull her to me. Her warmth on my chest and stomach was delicious, and I hoped she felt my gratitude and delight of having her here, with me, doing shit she shouldn't for me, to help me. I know I had no right to ask anything else from her, but she herself seemed willing to comfort me. Her small, gentle hands moved up and down my back, managing to burn my skin even through my shirt.

Cupping her chin, I tipped her head back so I could see her eyes. Seriously, those chocolate-brown orbs of hers should be illegal, especially when combined with the look she currently had in them. Something similar to a pleased smirk, with a fiery hint of a raw, unfulfilled need. Suddenly, she closed her eyes, cutting off my access to her soul and forcing me to look for another way to make her open up and let me in.

Her parted lips captured my attention and I leaned in to inhale her sweet breath. Like milk candy, summer and strawberries, she smelled sweet and warm. I couldn't help but sigh. A barely noticeable smile twitched on her tempting mouth, and I grinned in return before placing my own lips on hers. Softly, lightly at first, like a whisper, but she reached up, pressing herself against me much bolder, encouraging me to meet her halfway.

So I did. Touching the corner of her mouth with the very tip of my tongue. Breathing in and out, faster and faster. My right palm squeezed her ass, roughly and gently at the same time. Her fingers scraped my back, my neck, making my head spin slightly. I slipped a hand in her back pocket and sucked on her upper lip, sighing into her mouth and feeling a satisfied grunt climbing up my throat. I was just getting ready to throw us on the bed, tainted and stinky or not, and just have my greedy, wicked way with her, when Bella's cellphone rang again.

"That's Charlie's ringtone," Bella spoke in between pants, "I guess I'd better answer it."

_Damn you, Charlie._ Maybe the man was a soothsayer or something.

She broke away, her face flushed red and her eyes a little hazy. I smiled widely, proud as fuck that I was the reason for her dazed appearance.

Nodding silently, I grabbed her hand – a silent promise I'd be here for her like she was there for me, no matter what shit would come from this phone call. I couldn't really imagine what her father might have found and, since I was only fond of nice surprises – I was pretty much convinced this wasn't a nice one – I both did and didn't want to hear what he had to say. Too frightening, too embarrassing and confusing, besides, knowing shit places responsibility on you. Which I don't really want.

Bella squeezed my hand as if saying 'thanks' and accepted the call. "Hey, Charlie. That was quick." As she listened to her father speaking, her eyes grew wider and her grip on my fingers tightened to the maximum. Obviously, it was not good.

"Hold on, please," she said and turned to me. "Edward, it's not good."

I pressed my lips together and frowned. It would have been nothing short of a miracle if there was something – anything good to find about my ex.

"I'm putting it on the speaker so Edward can hear what you have to say." After she pressed the button, there was a quiet hissing in the background, and then Charlie's voice.

_"You two ready?"_ I met Bella's eyes; she looked beyond confused, but her face was set in determination to see this fuckery through. I leaned in and quickly kissed her on the cheek and wound my arm around her small torso, pulling her to my side. Safe.

"As ready as possible," she answered. A shiver ran down her spine.

_"Okay, then."_ Charlie coughed again. It was clear he didn't feel at all comfortable having to repeat all he'd found – whatever it was – out loud for us. I could actually relate to the poor man: he never asked for this shit, and neither did I.

"Dad?"

Coughing again. _"I'm here, Bells, just gimme a sec."_ He hummed quietly; a serene, almost sad tune, barely audible above the rustling of papers on the end of the line. _"Okay, so, umm... I'm not really sure where to start."_

"How about we start from the beginning?" I was getting a bit irritated, even though I could understand his uneasiness.

Feeling Bella's eyes on my face, I turned my head. Her expression was blank but with a hint of something; I couldn't decipher whether she was shocked or impressed. Either way, I mouthed a 'sorry' and squeezed her hand tighter.

_"The beginning, eh. Alright, might as well."_ Even more coughing and rustling of papers, muffled voices, a slam of a door and a squeaking chair. Charlie was speaking a bit more quietly, but finally there was some action happening.

_"Tanya Anne Denali, twenty-two, daughter of Alexandre Carl Denali, deceased, and Yelena Rowe, fifty-two. Mother remarried, has another daughter from the second husband, but that's not important right now. I won't go into detail about her family or history, but what I did find was that she has a pretty loaded case and she's also been under police watch more than once."_

We exchanged glances. Sure, I'd always suspected she had Russian roots, but I'd never met her family – none of her relatives, although I'd very much wanted at that time -, and I'd never known she had a sister. As the information settled in my brain, I shifted in my seat. "A pretty loaded case" and "been under our watch more than once"? This was fucked.

"Go on," Bella let him know we were still here and listening.

_"Alright. So, uhm... The first record about her is dated five and a half years ago, when a man asked for a restraining order for his family. Apparently, she'd been dating his son, but when he'd called it quits, some ugly stuff had happened. And that's just for starters. She'd been summoned to court, his family won and was granted a relative safety from Tanya. For about two months, as much as I get from the info I have at the moment, she kinda backed off, but the family's neighbors spotted her sneaking around the house. Three months after the court date their dog got poisoned and died, and one unfortunate day the son returned home and found his room completely ruined and some of his possessions missing. The family turned to the authorities again and Tanya got arrested, but she slipped out of their grasp due to lack of evidence. The family eventually moved away from the area and were never heard of again. I consider them quite lucky, compared to the next case. _They_ managed to escape her,"_ Charlie sneered.

"Oh.. my God," Bella whispered. "That's just insane. I can't.. I.. what the _fuck_, Edward?" She hissed at me, making me jump.

"Bella, I promise, I knew nothing about this! I never did. And I'm sorry for bringing this crap with me and into your life. I never meant to, baby, believe me."

_"Mm, yeah, I get that this is, uh, hard to grasp, but it's not all yet. You two feelin' well enough to hear the rest as well?"_

"Bella?" I squeezed her hand again. She lifted her eyes to meet mine; a terrified, sad little creature, almost begging to be hugged and protected from the world. "Honey, do we need to stop?"

She shook her head, making me let go of her face, but snuggled closer to my side, making up to me for the loss of her skin under my fingers. "No. We gotta.. I wanna.. I _need_ to know everything that crazy, miserable excuse of a woman has hidden in her fucking closet." Her voice was quiet and shook a bit, but there was also a solid tone of determination and even anger.

I sighed, both relieved and confused. "Okay, Charlie, we're listening. Please continue."

_"If you say so."_ There was a sigh from him, too. _"Now, where were we... Oh yeah. So, about half a year after the family disappeared, Tanya – and her aunt she lived with – moved as well, but her habits didn't change a bit. Another five months later the police got another call for help after she'd caused an accident, hitting another car on purpose. Again it had happened after her boyfriend had broken up with her. Luckily, nothing serious happened, nobody was hurt and it ended with a protocol and a fine for her."_

"Uhh.. okay," Bella drew out. She seemed tired, like nothing could surprise her anymore. I was starting to worry, and I guess Charlie, too, noticed the change in her voice.

_"What I'm telling you is serious stuff and knowing it could get you in trouble. But it could also give you some knowledge about her, and maybe even some ideas of how to avoid her revenge for you leaving her, Edward, and seemingly replacing her with Bella."_

I ran a hand over my face. I was aware of this all. I knew it was the truth. But I still didn't like that he used the word 'replace' when speaking of Bella's place in my life and this mess in general. I hoped she was something more, even if it was maybe too early. I felt more than just gratitude for her help or physical attraction.

"Don't worry, Chief. If it ever comes to that, I'll do everything I can to to protect her, I promise."

He laughed, a dejected, humorless sound. _"Thanks, son. In all honesty, though, I'm afraid you might not be able to do that, but I hope it'll never come close to that in the end."_

Okay, now _this_ was a blow to my ego. Why did he think I wouldn't be able to defend his daughter from the maniac? Sure, he'd never seen me or anything, but I had some muscle mass on me and I knew how to hit hard and run fast. I was taught to never hit a woman, but I was thinking I could allow an exception if I had to defend Bella or myself.

_"Right, so back to the topic at hand. I got a few more records about her, pretty colorful ones at that, if I may say so myself. I don't think there's any point in going too deep into detail, I'll just summarize so you can understand what's happened." _

"Okay."

_"Good. So after the second victim who, by the way, run away as well, there was a short period of quiet until she moved on to her third victim. Someone obviously helped her wipe her record clean, 'cause I don't think she'd gotten into any school or university or anything otherwise." _There was some kind of a desperate tone to his voice as he spoke the last sentence. Like he couldn't believe that _no_ one had seen _anything_ abnormal about her or her behavior.

I gotta say, at first I too didn't think something was wrong. Yeah, I'll admit, I was too caught up in our libidos and shit, too high to notice her clinginess. Took some time until I was somewhat satisfied to be able to spot some "anomalies" in the way she acted in public, especially when I was around. I used to turn the blind eye to that, but as the time passed, it became more and more clear, until I had had enough and that's where we were now. She just didn't listen when I tried to talk to her and ask her to _please_ at least _try_ to reign in her emotions or whatever; she never took my advice or pleas to heart, and I in turn never understood what she tried to tell me. The things she wanted me to know about her past – I'm quite sure they were all lies, considering what we'd learned in the past moments – maybe I cared to know _something_ about her back then when we'd just gotten together. But it changed pretty soon after we moved in and started spending more time together, and her, um, more twisted ways began to gradually appear and we had arguments more often than ever before, that's when my attitude turned to what Russians would call "похуй". Yeah, I've done some research on my own; I'm not a dumb jock or anything.

So basically I simply couldn't give two shits about what she'd think of me or what to tell or show me. Our relationship quickly became strictly physical – only about getting our rocks off. No cuddling, very little to no kissing, just sex. And eventually I got tired of that as well. She just couldn't excite me anymore; I grew cold to her, whereas she only seemed to get more and more obsessed about me. Now I really knew it was an obsession.

During my internal musing session Charlie had moved onto pointing out all the things Tanya had been charged for. I missed some of it, but I definitely caught the words, "violated restraining orders and charges", "drug abuse", "caught armed with unregistered weapon" and "has achieved a total of six victims".

The facts were stunning, but I didn't really feel like anything could surprise me – _us_ – anymore after what we'd already heard. Actually, I was amused, imagining what she'd had to do to stay out of jail, but then I remembered that I didn't care as long as shit didn't involve Bella, Em, Jazz or me, or Alice or Rose. Or Charlie. Or my family. _Fuck._

When I thought about it, there were too many people who could get hurt by Tanya. I'll have to ask Chief about any possibility of them getting some kind of protection from her as well.

_"Oh, damn."_ Charlie hissed, which provoked a response from a previously irresponsive Bella.

"What is it? Dad?" She sat forward, almost falling off the bed. I held her closer and tighter; a reflexive reaction to at least try and protect her. Caveman instincts, fuck the what.

_"I'm looking at a report from a Health Administration department of the town she was living in at that time. It's said here that she's escaped a sanatorium she was being held for observation under a court order. She was found near her previous victim's home, apprehended and returned to the sanatorium."_

My wide eyes immediately met the even wider ones of Bella. "That's just.. insane!"

_"Yeah, no shit,"_ was the monotone, snorting answer from Charlie. _"I hope you still remember what I told you when Bella first called me. What I've found now confirms my suspicion that your ex ain't all that sane, Eddie. In fact, these things have made me believe this she is pretty dangerous – especially to you two, kiddos."_

"I totally agree, Chief. And I swear to you that I never knew anything about this. I would've never, _ever_ even touched her had I known of anything of this. I feel so bad thinking I'm the reason you're all in danger now, I just..."

"Shh." Bella's small hand had found its home over my mouth, muffling everything I'd try to say. Her touch poured a stream of peace in me, at once making me forget Tanya and the shit she'd made up and making me focus on her warm skin on my lips.

Yeah, umm.. maybe this wasn't _such_ a good idea I initially thought. We were still on the phone with Bella's old man, and I was imagining my mouth _all over_ her skin. Without any clothes, crazy tanyas and reality. I'm sure I was flushed cherry-red by now.

I was seriously beginning to think of Charlie as a clairvoyant or something, because he coughed as if he was in discomfort. _"So, uh, yeah, I gotta run now, kids. I'll try to dig up anything else, if there's anything else to find, and maybe talk to someone about this matter. I can't let your maniacal ex-lady threaten my child, Edward, I'm sorry, but I can't do that."_

"It's alright, Chief. I assure you, I'll be only glad when she'll finally be out of my life. I too wouldn't want anyone to get hurt just 'cause I was stupid enough to get involved with her in the past. Please let me know if me and my friends can somehow help you with the investigation or whatever. We'd be glad to do what we can."

He chuckled. _"Alright, son. I'll make sure to remember that."_ And then he was suddenly in quite a hurry. _"Listen, I can't speak any longer now, but we'll definitely stay in touch."_ His voice was going in and out of earshot, like he was moving around. Muffled, a little breathy. Strange. _"Okay. Bella, remember what I told you earlier. About the mace. Don't forget. It might come in handy when you need it."_

"Yeah, sure, Dad. I won't forget." She smiled, but I could see she was confused as well.

_"Okay, great."_ A relieved sigh. Some crunching in the background. The final "I'll call you" and the line went dead.

We exchanged glances again. Was this weird or what?

"So what do you think?"

"I don't know. I'm confused. It's just too.. ugh. Just, what the fuck?" Bella jumped off the bed and started pacing again, getting herself worked up again. "I get that you're not involved now, I do – this would be too hard to play even for Collin Firth or who-the fuck-ever. I just don't get how you didn't notice that she was nuts! I saw it in the short moment when she visited us, half-drunk and totally dazzled by you. I don't get it. It's too bad you aren't a woman; we wouldn't have problems like this if you were one!"

Stunned, I shut my mouth. It stung that she'd still thought I had shit to do with this even after all I'd told her, then I felt flatterred that she admitted I had dazzled her, whatever it would mean – obviously that was a good thing since her expression was a bit dreamy when she said that. And then again a blow to my already bruised ego: to hear the object of your desire say she wished you were a woman was, to put it mildly, depressing and like a good old beating-up in a back alley behind a bar. It hurt, but it was also sobering in some ways. Of course, I had to consider the fact that she was stressed out and referring only to the situation with Tanya.

I sighed, slapped my palms to my thighs and stood up. "I guess we better go tell the others what we found out."

Suddenly, there was a piercing scream followed by rapid shouting behind the wall, which was obviously too thin. Bella looked at me again, her already big and bright eyes too wide for it to seem normal. Without saying a word to each other, we joined hands and headed to the door.

Exiting the apartment, we came face to face, or, to put it literally, face to side with the other four friends. They all had facial expressions as if they'd seen a corpse – noses scrunched, skin pale and eyes both scared and disgusted. They didn't notice us until Bella stumbled on the threshold and cursed rather loudly. The rest happened too quickly.

"You will not believe what Bella's Dad just told us about Tanya! She's..."

"Totally insane!" Bella took over, not letting me finish. "She's previously convicted, a real madwoman, and she's made more than ten people flee from their homes and practically disappear from the face of the earth!"

A low thud followed when Alice fell to the ground, unconscious. Jazz was quick to pick her up and Emmett, doing what I honestly didn't expect from him, ordered that we get into one or another apartment before starting the story.

* * *

_A/N:_ **So here we are again. **

**I apologize for the awful delay. Real life trouble is just terrible, and I'm sorry. Hope You don't hate me too much about it (:**

**This one was beta'ed and pre-read by the fabulous **KlrTwiLuver**, who graciously agreed to lend her sharp eye and equally sharp skills when I needed help, so I thank her lots for taking on this mess. She's seriously superb.**

**Also, she was quite generous and showed the way in which to take the crazy ex-lady's life, as well as shared some of her own ideas with me. Thanks lots for that too, lovely.**

**So what do You think of this all? Is Tanya insane enough for Your liking? Review and let us know!**

**Hope I did it justice. Anyway, I had a lot of fun with writing this, aside from the struggling, but I wanna say that **ImHereToReview** and **MandyLeigh87** are two fine ladies and have made up a great opportunity to work with other wonderful authors I secretly admire.**

**As for my own stories. [I've noticed other sweethearts have been pimping out their works, so I thought, why the hale not. ;)] I have two WIPs, **"Hear Me"**, which is put on hiatus and is gonna be rewritten, and **"Send Me Love"**, the second chapter of which is being written whenever I have time. Aside from that, I'm writing for three fabulous causes: I'm donating three one-shots to **Fandom Fights Mental Illness**, **Fandom Fights Tsunami** and **Fandom for Sexual Assault Awareness**, an O/S for each. So be on the lookout for news about this - my Twitter is (at)**SL_2030**. **

**See You online!**

_SL_

**p.s.** "похуй" **means** "fuck"**. JSYK **(:_  
_


	9. Little Leaps of Faith

**Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by Random Nonsense Unlimited. If you would like to join this story please PM us for more details.**

**This chapter was betaed by the amazing BrokenAngel5683, I am constantly amazed at the awesome power of her awesomeness. **

I couldn't sleep. The whole screwed up situation kept running through my head. How could this girl be so detached, so deluded that she actually lived her life this way?

Emmett had been pissed after the cops left. Something about how the apartment had been rented under the name "Lindsey Michaels" and so the cop couldn't get a warrant past a judge to track down Tanya since there was no proof that she had been the one there. "Like some other bat-shit crazy girl is stalking Edward and wanting to off Bella! I mean really what are the odds of something like that happening? I pointed out her skanky perfume and he said that a type of perfume wasn't a positive ID." It was actually kind of cute the way he was so bent out of shape about it.

It's weird that I'm finding myself increasingly comfortable with him. Especially once he explained the whole, "Oh yeah, I have a wife" bit. In the end the whole situation became something to laugh about. If only Tanya wasn't involved things would be peachy, and that's something entirely new for me. I'm not good at being around men. Don't get me wrong I can flirt with the best of them and verbal banter is definitely my forte but beyond that I tend to go a bit cold. If the girls hadn't been there after what happened in high school... I'd rather not think about it. But now this social amoeba is out to get Bella and the first guy I've liked in years happens to be roomies with the reason why. This is just one screwed up round of can it get any worse.

Everyone has long since fallen asleep. Alice claimed she was scared so that Jasper would just have to stay with her. Bella had said something about not letting Edward out of her sight until it was all sorted out. When they had all departed to coupledom I looked at Emmett, not sure what to do next. Should I ask him to stay over? I wasn't sure if I was ready for that yet but it wasn't like the night was built for romance and I doubt he would push for it. In the end Emmett took the decision away from me. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head, "I would love to stay Rose but there is this psycho chick who has access to my place and I think the x-box needs guarding. You can hold down the fort here right?" When I pulled back in surprise he winked at me.

I smiled to myself as I thought about that, he has such a childishness sometimes that it takes a second to realize that Emmett is so beyond perceptive. Or maybe that's just of me. My thoughts start to drift to Tanya, I wonder if anyone has ever understood her. What she's doing seems like a cry for help. What if something happened to her like had happened to me and she didn't have her own Bella or Alice to help her get over it. She could have snapped, it wouldn't have been that difficult especially if she wasn't balanced to begin with.

I decided that sleep had no intentions of being my friend and stepped outside for a breath of air. My eyes dart to Tanya's door and I don't know what compelled me to make my next move but I guess I felt it had to be done. I ducked back inside and grabbed paper and pen, writing a short note. As I crept across the breezeway between apartments I felt an adrenaline rush, I was sure someone was going to catch me and demand to know what my plan was.

* * *

The next day I walked into the Broad Street Cafe and thought for the hundredth time that this was a bad idea. Even if she showed, what was I going to do? For all my angry words standing surrounded by her filth last night I knew I didn't want to hurt the girl...yet. Right now I just felt sorry for her. Her life must be really lonely if the only pleasure she gets from it is from looking at pictures of a man who doesn't want her.

I kept my mind on that as I claimed an open table. The server, Kate, came up to take my order and I tried to smile at her greeting. I came to this place all the time and there was no reason to ruin it with the current tensions at home. The Broad Street wasn't like the hundreds of other coffee houses in Seattle. They had found a way to stand out by including more tables and actually having a wait staff. You could still stand in line at the counter if you were a traditionalist or getting something to go but if you sat at a table you were greeted by a server just like in a normal restaurant. The owner likes to call it the "restaurant of coffee houses" and will sometimes quip about needing to add food to the menu if you catch her in a witty mood. That's why I chose this place for confronting Tanya. It's a public place but one where I'm well known and there will be people backing me up if things get out of hand.

Ten minutes after my latte was served I saw Tanya walk through the door and waved her over. Kate came over, just after Tanya sat down, to take her order. "You don't have to stand in the line to get coffee?" she gestured confused at the line of people at the counter.

Kate laughed, "Not unless you really like lines. We figure that if you're warming a chair we can bring your coffee to you. So what'll it be?" Tanya muttered out an order too quickly for me to catch but Kate has more practiced ears than I do and simply nodded before walking away.

"I'm glad you could make it. Did you find the place okay?" I wasn't sure where to start but I knew I had to be careful. One wrong thing could set her off.

"You can quit the small talk. I'm here so I must have found the place. Your note said this has something to do with Edward." So much for the treading carefully, time to man battle-stations we're going full speed ahead.

"It does," I paused for a second as Kate delivered something covered in whipped cream and chocolate to Tanya. It didn't look at all like coffee, more like a sundae mated with a cup of hot chocolate but it must have been what the girl ordered because she smiled ever so slightly and began to sip it. I thanked Kate before continuing. "I am trying to figure out what he did to you. And why he's acting like such a douche to you. I mean it's not like there is that much to the guy, why do you let him have so much power over you?"

"You wouldn't understand what Edward and I have. What that little slut is trying to take away from us."

"I'm not so sure about the understanding thing but I do know you shouldn't call Bella a slut. She is so far from it that I often wonder why she hasn't joined a convent. Also she's one of my best friends and I'm protective of her. Your problem is with Edward and the fact that he doesn't see that you're crazy about him. Let's not drag my friend through the proverbial mud over that shall we?" I looked at her with a raised eyebrow and was pretty sure she got my point when she choked a little on the sugary confection she was drinking. "So let's work on that understanding part. What do you and Edward have?" I hoped that by getting her to put the whole thing into words she would realize how ridiculous said whole thing was.

I knew my hopes were in vain though with the first words out of her mouth. "It's like Romeo and Juliet." I stifled my gag reflex while I waited for her to continue. "He just swept me off my feet. It was love at first sight and we just fit so perfectly together. From the very beginning I knew he was the one and if his roommates hadn't interfered and started poisoning him against me we would still be together." The gag reflex was getting harder to hold back, her perceptions were as candy coated as her taste in coffee.

"Hold on a second." I had to cut in before she continued to spiral. "Romeo stuck by Juliet even when others tried to get him to give up, nothing anyone said was able to convince him their love wasn't true. Even when he was exiled, he still was faithful to her. If Edward is trying to see other people then he is no Romeo sweetheart."

"Oh," for a moment I had hope as she looked like she was thinking things over. "I never actually read the story. It's just a saying about how perfect they were for each other. If Bella wasn't throwing herself at him he would probably be faithful to me." Hope. Gone.

This is going to be harder than I thought. Peep mice have more sense than this girl. "Hold please. Remember we are not blaming Bella. Just because Edward is being a douche doesn't mean it's not his fault. He is his own person and capable of making his own decisions, even if they are screwed up, they are his decisions. Why do you pine over some guy who obviously doesn't deserve you? You need someone who will appreciate you, not ignore you. Someone you can have a conversation with rather than watch all of his from the background."

"But I love him. He used to open the door for me and would take me out for ice cream. He was always so gentle with things...you know _things._" She stopped there and looked at me for confirmation. Once again I swallowed back bile and nodded for her to continue. "I want to do things for him, I could take care of him. He would never need to worry about anything because I would be right there."

"Maybe you're right about the not understanding because so far it doesn't seem like he did anything extraordinary. Opening car doors and taking you for ice cream doesn't exactly translate to knight in shining armor. What about whisking you away for a weekend in the mountains? Or buying you jewelry? I've known guys that have done those things and still didn't turn out to be the one. What do you get from Edward that some other guy couldn't give you better?" I probably lost her in the stream of questions but I needed her to realize how naive she sounded.

Tanya was quiet for quite a bit while she continued to sip her drink; she seemed to be giving it her full attention. When she looked up again she had tears in her eyes. "I don't know." She squeaked, "It's just so hard to find someone, ya know, and so I just kind of hold on for all I'm worth because then I don't have to be alone. I don't like to be alone." Houston we have lift off, there may be some hope yet.

"Unfortunately there is a flaw in your plan." I reached across the table and handed her a napkin, the tears were definitely in faucet mode. "You have been alone. Ever since he broke up with you, you've been alone in the dark trying to be with someone who can't and won't give anything back to you. That must be supremely lonely. And you know what the worst part is?"

"What?" the poor girl's face was red from crying but at least I felt like I had gotten through to her.

"You haven't let yourself find someone else who would be able to take the loneliness away." Point made I decided there was some cheering up that needed to be done. "So I'm sure things with Edward weren't all sunshine and puppy dogs, did he ever do anything that would annoy you to no end?"

Tanya took a deep breath and then that smallest smile crept back across her face. "He clips his toenails in bed. Most of the time he kept it contained to one spot and would throw away the pile but sometimes he would miss one or two and one night I woke up with something poking my back and it turned out it was one of the clippings he had missed. It was so disgusting. He used to leave his boxers in the middle of the floor too and once I caught him drinking out of the milk carton." Once I got her started she continued to go on and on. Evidently Edward had a long list of bad habits, Bella was going to have her work cut out for her.

We talked for another half hour about Edward's bad habits and I shared a few stories of guys I knew in the past. In the end it seemed like she was confused as to why she had been so hung up on him for so long. There was one last thing I needed to touch on, "You really shouldn't go back to the apartment complex at all. The cops have it staked out, I'm not even sure how you got in to get my note. Eventually though they will catch you. I would just cut my losses and abandon the apartment if I were you."

"I have my ways of getting around cops and not being seen but I get the point, there really isn't a reason for me to go back there anyway." She started to look sad again, almost as if she knew that our conversation was coming to a close.

I decided to go with the band aid approach instead of prolonging the inevitable. I picked up my phone and glanced at the time, "I have to go back to work but I'm glad we got a chance to talk. I come here almost every day so now that you know where it is you can find me if you need to talk again."

I started to gather up my things, glad that Kate runs a tab for me so I didn't have to take the time to pay for the coffee. Much to my surprise Tanya reached into her purse and laid a twenty on the table before getting up and heading toward the door with me. I shouldn't have been shocked, I saw the equipment in that apartment and that stuff doesn't come cheap, Tanya's probably loaded. I figured there was no reason to explain my weekly tab to Tanya and Kate would appreciate the tip so I didn't mention it.

When we got out to the street I was suddenly wrapped in arms as Tanya hugged me. "Thanks Rosalie, for being here to talk to. I really appreciate it." And with that she was gone, the girl wasn't kidding about knowing how not to be seen. I was left standing there in complete shock wondering at the strange twists in her moods. I felt like I did a good thing though. By the end she was no longer looking at Edward as Mister Perfect and hopefully that slowed the obsession train a bit. I went back to work in a lighter mood knowing that I had done a good thing but not sure if I should tell my friends about it. I have never kept anything from them and yet I get the feeling that they would be angry at me if they knew.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon passed without being noteworthy and as I climbed the stairs to my apartment I resolved to pretend this whole day didn't happen. Luckily there had been some Febreeze in the supply cabinet at work so I could mask the whole perfume issue from when Tanya hugged me.

The door to the boys' apartment was opened slightly and the smells of someone cooking wafted out as I passed. It smelled wonderful and I had to investigate. Much to my surprise Emmett was standing in the kitchen with an apron on. Whatever was in that pan smelled wonderful and I cleared my throat hoping that he would share.

He jumped a bit at the noise and turned around from the stove. "Oh, thank goodness it's you Rose. Don't tell the guys I was cooking, they think I don't even know how to turn on the stove and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Sorry for startling you and your secret is safe with me as long as you share." By now I had moved across the room and pulled myself up to sit on the counter next to the stove.

"I think that's a fair deal." He winked at me and I couldn't help but smile. "For the record I wasn't startled, just surprised you got past my security measure."

"What security measure, the door was even open." I was so confused.

"That would be the one." Emmett declared with a smile and then thankfully explained. "I figured with everything going on the door being open would be a cause for alarm and either of the guys would have said something along the lines of 'why the fuck is the door open' thus giving me warning and the opportunity to erase all evidence that I have been cooking." I had to admit it was clever. There were many layers to Emmett and I was truly enjoying discovering each one, starting with whether or not his cooking tastes as good as it smells.

"So where'd you learn to cook?" I wonder if it's off television because that's where the few things I know how to make came from.

"My mom taught me when I was rather young, I only know how to make a few things but I try to make them just how she used to." His eyes met mine and if it weren't for the fact that I would have to lean over the stove I would have kissed him. Just when I was about to risk it Emmett's voice interrupted my train of thought "This is done actually." He turned off the stove and grabbed a fork and knife from the drawer.

"Do you want the first bite?" he asked as he stepped in front of me and all I could do was nod. The second the morsel was in my mouth I closed my eyes in pleasure, it was chicken wrapped in bacon, and the chicken was so moist I barely had to chew. I'm sure I moaned in pleasure and when I opened my eyes Emmett was breathing hard staring at me. "Did you like it?" I still couldn't trust my voice so I answered as best I could by throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him for all I was worth.

**I hope you enjoyed my foray into the plot of this story, I really enjoyed writing it and I think Rosalie was the best person to try and help the situation. Thanks for reading.  
**

** I want to thank MandyLeigh87 and ImHereToReview for being the amazing people they are by putting this all together. I know there were some scheduling conflicts with a couple of people in this project and I hope they decide to come back and rejoin us once things calm down a bit. This was an awesome idea and I am proud to be a part of it.**


	10. Come Undone

**Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by Breath-of-twilight. If you would like to join this story please PM us for more details.**

**~∞Ѿ∞~**

**Come undone**

**BPOV**

We spent the next few days taking shifts. None of us were ever alone. Emmett and Rose were apparently attached at the hip, or should I say mouth; and Alice was rather smitten with Jasper, which left me with Edward, usually. The guys refused to just let us girls spend a night alone together, stating that one of them had to be with us at all times.

At first, I was rather annoyed by it, being treated as if I were fragile and couldn't protect myself; but then, as the days passed by and I got to spend more time with Edward, I found myself rather enjoying his company. He was smart and could hold an intellectual conversation. He had quite the personality and was funny as all hell. Did I mention how hot he is? Yeah, well he is. So drool-worthy I sometimes lost my head around him, picturing him doing naughty things to my girlie bits, tasting him, touching him; but then there was the whole Tanya drama, and that was one hell of a repellent for me. I groaned aloud; my head was spinning, literally. I didn't know what to make of the whole Tanya situation, and what my dad had told us about her truly left me unnerved. If she really was that far gone, then there was no telling what would set her off or what she would do next.

I knew in the dark recesses of my mind that I should turn the fuck around and bolt. I had only just met Edward, and I didn't really need to be involved in something as complicated and dangerous as this, but I couldn't. I wasn't quite sure why; I just knew that the thought of turning my back on Edward, of not being able to talk to him or kiss him, made my chest clench and my eyes water.

Alice, being Alice, said it must be love. I laughed, then snorted. Bella Swan didn't do love. I was in it for fun, always had been, always would be. Edward was just fun to me, right?

I sat and pondered that for a bit, lost in my own musings and completely unaware of anything going on around me. A large hand on my shoulder startled me so bad that I jumped and fell off the side of the couch. I landed with a soft "Hmmph" and whipped my head up, the fright I felt melting away into simmering lust as my eyes locked with intense green.

I knew the moment our eyes connected that this wasn't just fun, and that I couldn't just walk away. There was something about Edward Cullen that intrigued me, drew me in; and I was powerless to fight the magnetic pull.

"You okay?" he asked as he held his hand out, helping me off of the floor and joining me on the couch, his bright eyes swimming with concern. I nodded and for some reason opened my arms. He, in turn, wrapped his tightly around me, and instantly all felt good and real and safe. I sighed into his embrace and just allowed myself to feel, not over think, or distance myself, just feel. And for just a few moments, I sat there, curled into his side and we just were; no crazy exes, no police, no insanity, just Bella and Edward.

"You shouldn't be here alone, you know that, Bella." I did, but I wasn't sorry. I was fine, and I managed to get a few moments of peace, so my sneaky escapecapades were well worth it.

"I'm fine. Look, not a scratch on me," I teased. He let it go, thankfully, and we just sat like that for what felt like hours, no talking, just holding, content.

"Seems Rose and Emmett are getting to know each other a bit...better."

I raised a brow and tilted my head upwards, wondering what he had meant by that. How much friendlier could they get. I mean, really, they were already constantly making out, audiences be damned.

"Well, scaring the bejesus out of you wasn't my only reason for coming over here. I kinda got tired of listening to Em's bed frame slam into my wall." Edward rubbed his neck, before running his fingers through his hair. His face was fucking priceless. I couldn't help it, I all out snorted.

Edward eventually laughed along with me. "So, I'm just a peaceful distraction, am I?" Edward nodded again, a cute grin breaking out on his lips and his eyes sparkling in amusement. "That, and a guy can only take so much of hearing another guy's name being yelled in the throes of passion."

I stopped laughing then and looked right at him. His eyes were almost black, his pupils being so dilated, and the way he licked his lips, coupled with that intense look in those black eyes. Yeah, that was all it took to reel me in.

My head jerked up, my lips puckering just as they slammed into his. I would never get tired of kissing this man. I couldn't. He tasted so fucking good, and his lips were so soft, his tongue so talented, and God, then his hands slid up my backside, curling around my neck, tugging at my hair.

I broke apart from the kiss, heaving with the need to breathe, and smirking like I had already gotten laid, when all we had done was some heavy kissing; but there would be more, so much more. Come hell or high water, that boy was going to be in my bed, hair even more dishevelled, and naked; he definitely needed to be naked.

I rose from the couch, my legs shaky and my heart thumping wildly in my chest. I took his hand and pulled, gently tugging him towards my room.

When we reached the door, I stopped, pushed him inside of it, and then quickly closed it and locked it. I didn't want to give him any chance to over think this and run. My panties were already housing a small pond, and I was desperate for him to touch me, there, anywhere really, just so long as he was touching me and looking at me with those fucking hungry eyes.

Together, we fell onto the bed, our limbs tangled and our lips seeking out any flesh that was readily available. I flicked my tongue out and teased at his ear lobe, which elicited a throaty moan, and I swear it was the sexiest fucking thing I had ever heard. My hips bucked up into him, as I arched at the sound. I knew I should be embarrassed for the way I behaved and reacted to him, but I just couldn't be. It felt good; it felt right.

"You're so beautiful." I opened my eyes and looked up at him, smiling softly as warm heat seeped through me.

"So are you."

Softly, slowly, our lips moved together, pressing, tasting, savouring. When his hands moved to the waistband of my shorts and began tugging on the hem of my shirt, I raised up slightly to make it easier. I wasn't fighting this, not any more. Girlfriend past or not, I was in this for the long haul, and I wanted nothing more than to feel him inside of me, connect with him on that intimate level.

He threw my shirt on the floor and just stared at me for a moment, his eyes hooded and hungry, devouring every inch of new flesh. My nipples pebbled under his gaze. He must have noticed that because as soon as the shiver of pleasure coursed through me, he ducked his head and began lapping and nibbling on my hardened flesh.

It didn't take long for all of our clothing to join together in a heap on the floor, and I can't deny the fact that when Edward first took off his pants I was slightly mesmerized and insanely intimidated. The boy was hung, like damn, I surely hadn't ever seen the likes of him before; and I was mildly worried about the pain his rather large appendage would inflict upon my underused cooch.

He chuckled at me, likely at the look on my face, my eyes wide open and gaping. I probably looked like a creeper fish, drooling and eyeing him up like a dangerous snake.

"Are you sure this is what you want, beautiful girl?" he whispered against my flesh as he teased the tender area along my inner thigh with his soft tongue.

I nodded my head, timidly, at first, but when his tongue reached the apex of my thighs and darted out, swirling, probing, I lost coherent thought and began vigorously bobbing my head up and down. "Yes, yes, Edward, I want it all. I want you." His response consisted of diving in, face first, as if my pussy were a dying man's last meal.

I writhed and moaned shamelessly as his tongue worked me in ways I never thought possible. Within seconds, I was perched precariously on a ledge of ecstasy, ready to jump head first, willingly, and I did. I thrashed under his firm grip as a slithering burn of arousal shot from my center to every limb in my body, rendering me immobile and causing profanities and his name to burst past my lips in a way of prayer.

I was still pleasantly numb as he crawled up my body, speckled kisses being placed along my burning flesh as he slid up me.

I watched helpless to his allure as he hovered over me, smirking as he reached under my pillow and withdrew something. Curious, I eyed the item until I realized it was a condom.

He rolled it on and positioned himself at my entrance, my walls already pulsating just at the thought of him being inside of me.

I moaned at the contact, hot throbbing flesh against wet aching and nodded my head, letting him I wanted this.

As he slid into me, we both began to move salaciously together; our bodies' seemingly in tune with one another, and it was positively mind blowing.

He worshipped me, touched, tasted, everything I had ever fantasized about, but better, so much better. And as I fell from that cliff one last time with him buried deep inside of me, grinding, and swirling his hips, I looked into his eyes and knew I was lost, lost to this beautiful, wonderful man. I was his. I ...I loved him. Somehow, in nothing but a couple weeks, I had fallen deeply and hopelessly in love with Edward Cullen.

**~∞Ѿ∞~**

Sunlight filtered in through the partially drawn blinds, burning through my eyelids as I tried vainly to ignore the loud chatter coming from the other room. Emmett's booming voice, however, could not be shut out, and unwillingly my eyes slid open to the most warming sight I had ever seen. Edward was curled into my side. His hair was in even more of a disarray than normal, curled around his ears. His face was so relaxed, and a small amount of drool was pooling into the corner of his mouth. It was absolutely adorable.

"I'm going to give you five minutes to come out of there Isabella Marie Swan, and then I'm coming in, naked or not. You hear me?"

I cringed at the high pitched tone in Alice's voice, either she knew Edward was in here with me, like the psychic know-it-all she was, or something was up. I jumped out of bed and put my shorts and shirt back on. I looked over at Edward, still sleeping peacefully, and decided to just leave him be. If I was about to walk into the Spanish inquisition, I sure as shit didn't want him present for that.

Quietly, I slipped out the door, shutting it behind me before making my way out into the living room, where I found not just Alice, but everyone else, as well, plus a few additions all decked out in blue and black. I gulped and pulled my brows together, my nerves hitting an all time high as I took in the look of apprehension on each and every one of their faces.

"What's going on, guys?" I asked softly, the small tremor in my voice giving away my nervousness.

My question was directed at Alice, but one of the officers moved forward and addressed it for her.

"We're sorry to have woken you, Miss Swan, but it is rather urgent that we locate you and Mr. Cullen. Do you happen to know where he is?"

My eyes widened, not in shame, but because I was busted. There was no way around this, and I could only imagine the razzing I would get from Emmett and the incessant questions I would receive from Alice.

I nodded my head, slowly, gauging everyone's reactions. Rose seemed smug, a little bit more than usual, and Emmett was smiling like a cat that had swallowed a canary. I sighed in embarrassment. They obviously knew. How, I wasn't sure, but they knew, that much was obvious. I ducked my head and mumbled, "I'll go get him for you." I barely heard Alice's shocked gasp of air past the loud thumping of my heart as I scurried back down the hall to wake Edward up.

I made sure to lock the door behind me as I re-entered the room. There would be no more embarrassing Bella this morning, if I could help it. Edward was still passed out, oblivious to the shit-storm that was awaiting us in the other room.

I approached him slowly, not quite sure of how I should be acting around him now that we had had sex. I knew I wanted more than just sex. Hell, I wanted it all and a cherry on top, too, but I had no clue what he wanted. Maybe now that he had gotten into my pants, the novelty would wear off and I would be nothing but last night's news to him.

The moment I touched him, I whispered his name, and all my fears were put to rest. His arms encircled my waist as I perched on the bed beside him, and he softly whispered my name, a huge smile breaking out on his lips. My heart soared as I realized, at very least, he was not through with me, yet.

"Edward..." I gently shook his shoulder, and he tightened his hold on my waist.

"Edward, you need to get up. There are... uh...some people in the living room." That got his attention.

His eyes flipped open, dark green zeroing in on my lips. I smiled, or at least tried to.

"If it's Emmett, tell him to fuck off. I want so more alone time with my girl. I'm not done with you yet, doll face."

My heartbeat took off at his words, palpitating dangerously fast as my face flushed with flaming heat. I didn't know how to respond to that, so I did what I always did when an uncomfortable situation reared its ugly head, I teased.

"Well, as much as I'd love to know what that alone time might entail," I whispered huskily, trailing my pointer finger down his bare chest, "it isn't just Emmett. Everyone is out there, along with a couple officers who would like to see you."

Edward jumped from the bed, his naked body on full display for me and his monster cock standing at attention, swaying with his movements, as if it were waving good morning to me. My lips parted, and my mind began to wander. I wondered what it would be like to taste him, to have his throbbing cock plunge in and out of my mouth as he grappled at my hair and cursed and groaned my name. I shifted and rubbed my legs together, wet heat seeping through my shorts... "Bella, are you even listening to me?"

I looked up at him and blinked, noticing that somehow he was already dressed. Well, his pants were on, and that alone was a fucking shame.

"Sorry, what did you say, Edward? I was thinking." A slight shiver ran through my body and I let out a small gasp. Edward was a smart boy, and cocky to boot. He smirked down at me. "As much as I'd like to pick that pretty little head of yours and find out just what has you so flustered, you did say that there were police in the other room. I think we should deal with that first. Then, you'd better believe I have every intention of acting out whatever naughty fantasy you were just entertaining while drooling over my naked body."

That cocky fuck! I slanted my eyes and glared at him before stomping past him with a small smirk playing on my lips. He followed me, snickering the whole way, into the living room, where our friends all watched us with varying looks of amusement and shock on their faces.

"Mr. Cullen?" one officer asked.

"Yes, how can I help you? Is everything okay?"

The officer nodded. "My name is Officer Brady, and this here is Officer McLeod. We were on night duty last night, and it would appear that all of you were right. This morning, just before oh-six hundred-hours, we stopped a girl entering the apartment beside yours. She claimed to be one Lindsey Michaels, but when we asked to see her identification, she spilled some of her purses contents, one of those items being a driver's licence with her picture and naming her as one Tanya Denali."

A chorus of gasps rang out in the room as everyone realized exactly what this visit from the police could mean.

**~∞Ѿ∞~**

**I just kinda got thrown in here at the last minute, covering for someone who had to bail out. So, I hope I did this justice, and for any of those who know me, well, of course you'd know, with it being me, I just had to get some citrusy fun in here.**

**Thanks I'mHereToReview for bringing me into this whole thing, tis been fun.**

**Thank you, Ann, for going o0ver this and making sure I put all my semi's where they belong...snort!**

**Now for some shameless plugging. I have many WIP's as well as many completed fics, but my current favourite is Club Elite, just saying. If ya get a chance, check it out, or any of my other fics. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**xx**


	11. The Secrets They've Kept

Jacob POV

The bag of groceries pressed into my side, an annoying reminder of its presence, as I climbed the stairs.

"Thank you officer," I heard Alice's trill before rounding the corner to see the six newest of friends walking a couple of men in uniform out of their apartment. I resisted the desire to groan. The police swarming the building lately had proven to be more than a little annoying. Although as my eyes landed on Bella, I did feel concern.

Ever since I'd moved in to the apartment down the hall, Bella had had an enormous crush on me. And it had been flattering, sure, but I felt nothing the same in return. Someone else already occupied my heart. So when the boys had moved in across the hall, I had felt a sense of relief. Enormous relief. That is until prince charming had proved to be attached to a crazy, psycho stalker, who wanted to off Bella. Sure, I hadn't shared her feelings, but we had talked, become a bit more than acquaintances, but a bit less than friends, and I did care about her. Just not enough in the way she wanted.

I gave Edward a cold look, but not quite a glare. Like I said, I was glad the guy was here, was in her life, but I didn't like the situation. "Hey Bella," I said to her, pausing in the hallway," Everything okay?" Obviously it wasn't, but there didn't seem to be a good way to ask someone if they were attacked by their crazy stalker last night.

"Yeah," she nodded," They arrested Tanya last night." One could only hope the charges would stick. From what she's already told me, the girl seemed to be able to Houdini her way out of any criminal charge. She looked relieved. I smiled, but not too broadly. We are talking about Houdini here after all.

"That's great, Bella," I said to her," Hopefully things will settle down for you guys soon then." Not to mention the rest of us. And the fellas in blue. They could take a hike too.

Edward's eyes stared coldly back at me as I smiled at Bella. Bella continued to talk, looking over at Edward. Even though good news had been delivered, she still seemed frazzled. "Yeah, maybe, we could go out for a bit," she said to him.

"We could celebrate," Emmett, the charismatic one, for what I could tell, chimed in, "You know like ding dong the witch is dead."

Rosalie gave a small laugh. Her golden hair glistening in the sunlight.

Something was said about bars and drinking. The little pixie wanted to dance. And Jasper seemed content to agree with anything she said. But I knew that this conversation was racing away from me. "I should go," I said to them bowing out gracefully. "Ness is probably waiting for me. See ya around." And with that, I made my way down to my apartment.

As I was unlocking my door, I noticed Bella and Edward leave, Alice and Jasper head for the boys' apartment, and Rosalie and Emmett go back into the girls' place.

The groceries were set immediately on the counter, so that the annoyingly persistent cereal box could stop poking me in the side. I hung my keys up on the hook by the door, as my eyes scanned the apartment, landing on the television screen that served as one of many monitors. Yes, the blonde was still home. And for the moment at least, it looked like she was alone, flipping listlessly through the channels on her television. Alone for now.

The coffee table was covered with folders. Files really. One for each of them. The central six. And then the bit players. The people who only dropped in from time to time. Friends from work, school, bars. Employers. You know the type. Files I had helped to make, had kept up meticulously, had studied. Studied to the point that I had it all memorized. Birthdates. Favorites. Patterns of behavior. These six were almost totally predictable to me in every way. The burly brunette guy. Birthdate June 27th. Very charismatic. Could make people laugh easily. Always smiling. Could cook, but not much. Favorite TV Show, Sex in the City because those bitches are bangin'. Very protective of people he cared about. Loyal. And now in the room with the blonde.

He sat down next to her. She pretended to be uninterested in his very presence. She continued to flip. The only sign that maybe she didn't hate the guy, being when she stopped her flipping when she saw his favorite show on TBS. She sat the remote down and gave him an I'm bored already glare before picking something else up off the table and playing with it. Too far away to tell what. After a moment or two, it became obvious that these two were just going to be watching Sex and the City, so I made my way into the next room.

The white board. It's where pertinent details were written down. Facts. Changes in patterns or behaviors. Profiles. Pictures over every name, over every detailed list of traits. The main six were there, a few others. Some of them were crossed out. Big red X's over their faces. These were the ones that were dead already.

"They're on the move," a female voice spoke to me. Nessie. My Nessie. The one who was going to help me take the rest of them down. I heard her slide the clip into her gun, load the chamber, before slipping it away, hidden on a garter belt. I grabbed my own, checking to see if it was loaded before following her. Hiding mine in my waistband, under my T-shirt. She was already out the door, keys in hand.

"No way are you driving," I say to her, as we hurry down the stairs.

"And why not?" she cocked an eyebrow at me, "Is it because I'm a girl?"

I shook my head. The fact that she was a girl and I was in love with her, was the reason she could get away with murder. "No because you drive like it's the Indy 500. I'd like to not die today."

She chuckled a little. Her dad had taught her everything he knew about cars. She could drive anything with an expertise and precision that I was jealous of. But she was more the person you let drive in a high speed chase, not a tail them and be unnoticed kind of thing. "Fine you win," she said to me as we reached the car. She tossed the keys to me after unlocking the door. She was in the car, and the door closed before I even opened mine.

I got in, started the car, and began to follow the tell tale red Porsche that the blonde drove, as she was already turning out of the parking lot. If I didn't know better, I would have suspected that she knew she was being followed. Or maybe trying to make sure she wasn't being. As she winded through the roads. A left, the first right, another right, another left. She was picking up speed, the streets were getting busier. It was hard to keep up, and go unnoticed. Until finally, "Shit!" We'd lost her. Again. This wasn't the first time.

"Maybe next time you'll finally let me drive," Nessie quipped from the seat next to me. "So we can deal with this one and move on. There are five others."

"Shit," was the only thing that I could say again. Now I would have to call the people who hired me. My superiors and let them know, we had failed again.

The ride back home was silent. Because all I could think about was the fact that she was still out there. That I had let her go. The blonde. The one that sits at the very end of the white board. The one that we hope we can take out of the picture next. The one we want to put a big red X over next. The most dangerous of them all.

I pulled into the parking lot, and we ascended the stairs again in silence. As we passed by Bella's place, they were leaving all dressed up. "Have fun," I said to them, forcing a small smile.

"You okay?" Rosalie asked.

Nessie gave them a huge smile and a nod. She was better at hiding her disappointment than I was. "Yeah, we went out to dinner, and he just feels a little sick."

"Oh," Bella said, I could still feel her eyes on me. "Well feel better." Most everyone seemed to echo the sentiment.

I mumbled, "Thanks." And continued the trek home.

Others on the board have words like charismatic, methodical, manipulating, impulsive. But not her. Her words were calculating, cold, cruel, meticulous, psychotic, likes to torture. I had personally seen her handiwork. I had seen disfigured bodies. I had seen cold blooded murders that would make your stomach churn, would free its contents and would stick with you for days. I had seen the men that she'd used a special weapon of her own design on. These men had been left lying somewhere, intestines on the outside, to slowly die of infection before they were found. She was meticulous in the clean up. Covered it all so well that we had no solid proof she was the one doing it.

I walked straight over the dresser, pulling the drawer out where I kept these things. I filled it once again with my Government Issue gun. And then, I pulled my badge from my back pocket. I stared at the words on it for a moment. Jacob Black. Special Agent. FBI. Then I tossed it in the drawer too, feeling a moment of disgust at myself again.

Nessie came up behind me and wrapped her arms around me. "We'll get her next time," she said to me, placing a kiss between my shoulder blades. A kiss the felt warm and wet even through my T-shirt. Oh the trouble we'd be in if the people we worked for ever realized that our masquerading as a couple had turned to something else.

"And another plus," I said to her with a small grin of thanks, "the cops will be gone now. They arrested Tanya."

"So maybe they'll stop being as cautious as they have been lately," Nessie supplied with a smile. "See today wasn't all bad."

I chuckled a little, turning around to kiss her. "Definitely not all bad now," I teased. She laughed a little, echoing my sentiment before her lips found mine again.

But none of that changed facts. The blonde was the one that the entire Volturi family turned to if a deal was going south. The others Aro, Cauis, Marcus, Felix, Demitri, were nothing without her. She was their enforcer. The blonde with childlike qualities that hardly anyone ever took seriously until the end. Jane Volturi. And she was loose out there because of me.

Jane POV

That stupid fucking bitch. That's what I felt like yelling at the top of my lungs as I hung up the phone. I had half a mind to call back my father, Aro, and tell him no way, no way in hell. One too many mistakes. Time to take the safety net away and just let the cuckoo bird rot.

"She's done it again?" Felix asked from his spot on my couch. He sounded completely uninterested and his eyes never left the screen, since Sex and the City was on.

"Yes," I bit out, my tone cold, icy. Spoken in a way that would make a man's blood run cold, freeze in his veins. Followed by a just as cold, "Leave." He looked ready to argue until he saw the look on my face, then he decided it best not to argue.

After he left I went into my room, into my nightstand and pulled out my switchblade. I opened it. It looked sharp enough. But really, only one way to know. I slid the blade over the palm of my hand, only adding the slightest bit of pressure. Red seeped out as the knife sliced through skin and pooled into my cupped palm. Aro may have said not to do anything. But she needed to hear from someone, somewhere, with a little extra force that us playing the clean up her mess game was getting old. And that her free passes might just be running out.

I closed the blade and shoved it in my pocket. Standard procedure. No one would think anything to be odd. Not even her. I never left the house without it.

My red Porsche pulled out of the parking lot. I doubted anyone was truly on to my family being here. But the police had been around more than any of us would have liked lately. So to be on the safe side, I took the long way about. Turning rapidly to throw cops, or rival families off my scent. I pulled into the parking of the police station and headed for the jail.

I headed inside. Most people would be daunted by the metal detector especially while carrying weaponry. But Brayden had been a friend of the family for years. My eyes met his as I walked in, as if to say you know the drill. He gave me an almost imperceptible nod and I set my purse down to be searched and then walked through the metal detector that he had now shut off. He handed me my bag after having pretended to search it. And having helped himself to the appropriate fee. I smirked, "Thanks officer, have a great night." My tone implied sincerity, but my face which only he could see was still set in a hard cold line.

I made my way up to the counter. "I'm here to bail someone out."

"Who?" the woman asked.

"Denali, Tanya," I say to her, my face now portraying the innocence everyone believed to lie in me, due to my small stature and petite features.

I have to sign paper work saying she'll make it to her trial. And I have to pay up the thousands of dollars it takes to get her out of lock up. And I have to wait, which is the worst part of all. But finally she appears through the doors, rumpled, but no worse for the wear.

My cool green eyes meet hers across the room. She at least has the decency to look embarrassed. Her eyes echo of her father's. Her father had been a man worth knowing. Keiran Denali. He had helped us traffic arms. He had been a man to admire. He wouldn't hesitate to handle any situation. Punishment usually worse than the crime. As it should be. If only he were alive to see this train wreck. As soon as she was within earshot, I said, "Your father would be so ashamed of you."

Her face fell. She frowned. Almost whimpered. Now that was the mother in her. I sneered. Her mother had always been a weak pathetic woman. No stomach for what we did. She pretended we didn't. In the end it didn't work out for her. She ended up as dead as her husband. They'd been killed together in an attack from the Romanovs. Vladimir and Stefan leading the fight. Angry that the Volturi family had moved above them. "Thank you," she finally squeaked out as we got in my car. "Aro," was the only answer that I could force out.

We'd been doing this for years, almost her whole life. You couldn't be as bat shit crazy as Tanya was and have none of it show up on your record, unless you had friends in low places. Like us. We got things expunged from her record. Other things we hid. Sometimes we could hack in and delete whole pieces of information. We'd paid off families, boys, cops, judges. All because our family had loved Keiran. All because Keiran had been a good employee. But the love for Tanya was running low. For me at least. That's why I was driving towards the pier. When the car came to a stop, Tanya asked in a shaky voice,"Where are we?"

This was one of my favorite kill spots, even if it was out of the way. At night is was quiet, abandoned, and if I was feeling lazy, I could always just throw the bodies into the water. Though that usually wasn't my way. My way was no evidence, no proof. "Get out," I bit at her. When she made no move to leave the car, I reached over and unhooked her seat belt, opened her door and pushed her onto the ground before getting out myself.

Her eyes drifted to the knife in my pocket. Maybe she wasn't so dumb after all. My eyes flashed with pleasure as I saw the fear in hers. A certain contentment washed over me as she began to cry. "Why are we here?" she asked, her voice shaking.

I laughed, deep, throaty. She wasn't begging yet. But then I gave her a small smile. Not one meant to put her at ease, but one meant to unnerve her a little. My tone not betraying the look on my face. My tone friendly, "We just need to talk."

She knew better. She'd seen me in action before. "About?" She tried to make her voice sound stronger, but it still shook, causing my grin to grow wider.

"About your little obsession," I said. An obsession, I could respect. After all, I had obsessions. I liked to cut things. I liked to make people bleed. I liked to watch them die. I liked to feel in control of myself, and the lives of others. "Edward," I clarified.

"You shouldn't talk about Edward. You don't know him." Now she had fight in her tone. I chuckled, bring up the boyfriend and everyone wants to be a hero.

I shook my head. "Get up," I said to her. If she wanted to stand up to me, she at least needed to stand. She made it up onto shaky legs. "You can't play where we work," I said to her simply.

"But this time I'm right. Edward loves me, he really does. He wants to be with me. He just needs someone to show him. I can do that, if I had more time. I could make him see that we're perfect together."

I shook my head. Same old song and dance. Everyone loved her. Everyone she could prove it to. Truthfully, though the drill was old, it was sometimes fun to watch her work. To see the fear in a young boy's eyes. Or an old man's. Or a mother's. To hand them money and new identities while they cry about the things they've lost due to Tanya's destructive tirades, as you tell them to run and never look back, to be someone new, and someone totally different. It was like Christmas morning. "The cops are swarming," I tried to explain to her. Alec was so much better at the talking. He had a way of treating Tanya like a wounded bird he was going to heal that seemed to settle her insanity. Sometimes I thought my twin had a thing for her. Wanted her to be obsessed with him. I was pretty sure that would never happen. "We don't need that kind of attention. If we go to prison, you go to prison. It's over this time. You are finished with Edward."

And there it was. The struggle. The anger. The only violence she had in her body existed to protect a relationship that had probably never been real. Her eyes flashed like those of a caged animal that I had refused to feed for days. "No," she yelled at me. I simply nodded my yes. "No," she screamed again as if that would change my mind. "I am not done with Edward."

"You are," I said to her, emphasizing my final word with such finality that no sane person would of argued with me, "Now."

"He loves me," she yelled and lunged at me. I twisted her arm behind her back, pulling her body close to mine. "No one loves you," I whispered in her ear as her back pressed against the front of my body. Her body went limp, her weight leaning on me. I let go and she crumpled to the ground.

"Edward loves me," she cried. As she rocked herself back and forth. I lowered myself to the ground, squatting in front of her. I reached out to her, brushing some hair behind her ears. "Edward is over now," I say to her, my eyes finding hers.

Again the flash of anger. Her moving towards me. I pulled out the knife, the blade slicing through air as it snapped open. "You wouldn't dare," she managed to sneer at me, "You wouldn't do that to my father."

My hand tightened on her hair, she winced in pain, the grip on the back of her neck stronger, as I jerked her face towards me and roughly tilted her head to the side. "Daddy's dead," I said in a cool, haunting monotone, as I pressed the blade to her cheek and gently slid it over the soft skin there. She cried out. "Shh Shhh Shhh," I soothed, my thumb flicking over the trail of red. I pulled away from her then. I watched the blood flow out for a moment, before raising my thumb to my noise. I inhaled deeply. Blood smelled like home. It was sweet and bitter all at once. My tongue flicked out over my thumb. And it tasted salty and metallic. I looked back up at her, eyes hungry. I wanted to see more flow out of her. I wanted to see all the blood leave. I wanted to smell it in my hair, lingering on my skin, soaking into my clothes for days. I imagined what it would be like to plunge the knife deep into her stomach. And then into her heart. To watch it gush out of her with every heart beat. But I couldn't. Aro would already be mad at me for the one scar that I did leave behind. I cleaned the blade as she stopped the bleeding. She jumped as I snapped it closed. "Let's go," I said to her, gently helping her to her feet. I think she received the message. And some kindness was due the person who had satisfied my desires for blood, at least for now.


	12. Chapter 12

**Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by Jenny0719. If you would like to join this story please PM us for more details.**

* * *

Bella

I sat on the couch, hand in hand with Edward, and watched police officers mill about the apartment. Tanya was in police custody, but I wasn't naïve enough to believe it would last very long. Unless she proved to the judge to be a flight risk, she'd be out bright and early tomorrow morning. Which meant this scene, the one of police going back and forth between Edward's and my apartments, and the apartment next door, would become incredibly familiar until the police had built a solid enough case against her to prosecute.

Shit.

"You know, it's going to suck having all these people around all the time," I murmured to Edward.

"What do you mean?"

"Just… Until they have a solid case against her, we won't really have a life anymore."

His answer came in the form of a pained look, and I instantly felt guilty for making the mindless comment. It wasn't his fault that his ex had hidden the fact that she was eighty different ways of crazy. Not his fault at all.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's true." He glanced around the room, his pained expression morphing into that of anger. "I'm fixing that shit."

Before I knew what was happening, Edward had jumped up and stomped across the room, engrossing himself in a conversation with the man I assumed was the lead officer.

"So, Swan, how was it?" Alice piped in from the loveseat across from me.

I groaned and felt heat rise to my cheeks. "Not now, Alice."

"Yes, now," Rosalie argued. "We want all the gory fucking details, you slut."

"Yeah, that's not happening." Again with the blushing, this time, intensified.

"Please?" Alice begged. "It's been so long since you got any..."

I started picking at my nails in an effort to ignore her better. It didn't work. She just kept pestering and pestering…

"It was good. Really good," I finally offered up. "And yes, I plan on doing it again. Now, that's all you get."

Soon, Edward rejoined our group, unceremoniously plopping back down on the couch next to me.

"So did you 'fix' it?"

"About as much as I can in this situation," he said proudly.

"Which means?"

"Nothing." A smile crept up on his face, alerting me to the fact that it wasn't just "nothing".

"Edward."

He shook his head, beaming at me. "Not on your life, Swan. Just let it go."

I couldn't help but smile back, even though the curiosity was nearly killing me. Now I knew exactly how Alice had felt just a few seconds ago. "Will I like whatever it is you have up your sleeve?"

"There's nothing really up my sleeve." He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my hair. "Promise."

"So then you shouldn't have an issue telling me what that was all about."

"You're not letting it go, are you?"

"Probably not. I have one of the most persistent roommates alive. It's a learned behavior."

"Hey!" Alice chimed in indignantly.

"It's true. Try to deny it."

She didn't say a word back.

"That's what I thought. So what's the big deal?" I asked, returning to the subject at hand.

"It's nothing big," Edward replied. "But I'll think you'll enjoy it anyway. Now let's just leave it at that. Okay?"

I debated it for a moment, and then nodded my head in concession. I could let him have a little fun. For now.

We continued to let the cops do their thing, opting to play a few games of cards on the deck Jasper had pulled out of the drawer next to him. A few rounds of poker played with loose change the boys happened to have in their pockets and almost an entire game of Rummy later, the police had tagged all the evidence and snapped photos of any and every necessary square inch of the building. The more superfluous officers left on new orders, and we were approached by the same man who'd informed us of Tanya's arrest to begin with.

"Want in, officer?" Emmett asked with a teasing grin.

"Love to, but I have to get back. I just thought I'd let you know the situation as it stands now."

We all nodded and waited expectantly for him to continue.

"There will be officers patrolling the building around the clock, just as before. Only now, there will be a constant guard in the hall, just in case Miss Denali has the balls—excuse my language—to come back again. We'll have all the evidence tagged, and there will be an ongoing investigation into Miss Denali's background and history of mental instability." He stopped, letting his gaze rest on Edward and me. "There will also be an officer on your detail at all times. If either of you leave, they will follow you. We're hoping that a few days of this will be enough to discourage Miss Denali from making any… rash decisions."

"You think she would?" Edward asked, wrapping his arm around me and bringing me closer to his body. He didn't need to speak the words aloud; we all knew that any "rash decision" made on Tanya's behalf would be directed at me. After all, it was me the bitch wanted out of the picture.

"She's desperate. And you've heard the saying… 'Desperate times call for desperate measures'. I can't give you a definitive answer, but it's very common that the… individual in question becomes frustrated and does something extreme in an attempt to regain control." He paused, letting the levity of his words sink in. "Just keep watch of your surroundings, don't go anywhere alone, and call us if you notice anything suspicious at all. We'll take care of the rest. That goes for all of you, not just Bella and Edward. You may not be her intended targets, but you're all involved in this now."

We all mumbled an agreement, too lost in our own processing of that information to say much more.

The officer let himself out, and I simply sat there with Edward for a while, wanting to feel the warmth of his body against me. It was odd how strongly I felt about him already. And while my heart soared every time I thought about his smile and his laughter, or the way his fingers felt against my skin, my brain kept rationalizing the situation. I loved him. Yes. But how much of that love was because of the man himself and how much was a response to the intense situation we'd been thrown in together? Saying those three, little, and so important, words wasn't an option now or any time soon. Not until I knew that what I was feeling was real or not.

And whether it was unrequited…

Edward's fingers brushed over my jaw until he'd cupped my chin and brought my face up so that he could see me clearly. "Tell me what you're thinking," he whispered. "You're so quiet."

I shrugged and smiled a little. "Just trying to wrap my mind around everything."

"You have to know how sorry I am for bringing you into this," he replied. "I had no idea she-"

I covered his lips with my hand and let my smile become wider, more genuine. "I know, baby." His eyes widened marginally with the endearment. "I know you'd never purposely put me in harm's way."

He shook his head, and I let my hand drop to my lap. "Never. I…" He trailed off and glanced around the room. "We can talk about it later."

"Later?" I asked, confused.

He smirked knowingly. "Later."

"Ah," I responded, giving him a playful look. "The whole thing up your sleeve."

"I have plans for you," he mumbled huskily. "Big plans."

"And what time should I be ready for this 'big plans'?" I asked.

"Six or so. No rush. We have all night."

"Tanya free," I said in realization.

"Exactly."

I eventually let Alice and Rosalie drag me back across the hall. Sure enough, an officer stood guard against the wall between Edward's apartment door and the empty apartment Tanya had used as her hideout. I gave him a smile, trying to be polite—because it would seriously have to suck to stand outside and look at the same fucking walls all afternoon—but not really paying much attention to where I was going.

I ended up slamming face first into Jacob's chest.

As much as this might have made me giddy in the past, it did nothing of the sort now. I was, however, humiliated and felt another blush make its way to my cheeks.

"You okay, Bella?" he asked. He glanced over at the police officer, annoyed for some reason.

"Fine. Sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

"Obviously." He smiled any evidence of his annoyance gone.

I pushed away from him and rolled my eyes.

"So what's uh… What's all this about?" he asked awkwardly, pointing a finger over at the officer behind me.

"Oh. Stalker issues," Alice said, glancing up at Jacob seriously. "Bella's new boyfriend has a stalker."

I nearly slapped her. "It's fine," I interjected. "It'll be sorted out before you know it. Nothing to worry about."

He looked pissed off for some reason, so I just kept rambling on.

"You won't be affected; I promise," I hurried. "It's just us. Well, more like me, but whatever. You get the point."

"What does she look like, if you don't mind me asking?" I stared at him blankly. "I just want to know who to look out for."

"Um, tall, thin, curly, light reddish hair… Um, blue eyes…"

"Name?"

"Tanya. Tanya Denali," I answered.

His eyes flashed with something indecipherable before he locked it down and gave me that same smile again. "Well, I'll let you know if I come up with something for you all."

"Um, thanks." I think.

He nodded and moved past me to get to his apartment down the hall.

"That was weird," I muttered as we stepped into our own apartment.

"What was?" Rose asked.

"Nothing." I shook my head at myself. I was paranoid, thanks to Tanya. "It was nothing. Just imagining things, I guess."

They didn't buy it.

"I'm going to go get some laundry done before I have to get ready for… whatever Edward's planning. I'll see you two in a bit."

"Not so fast, Bella." Rosalie stepped in front of me, blocking my way back to my bedroom. "You heard the nice policeman. You're not going anywhere alone."

"Not even to the laundry room?"

"Nope. We're coming with you."

"But…" I glanced into Rosalie's clean room. "You don't have any laundry!"

She shrugged. "Doesn't matter. You don't go alone."

I huffed, knowing that if I didn't agree, she and Alice would find some way to lock me in the apartment for the afternoon.

This was my life now. And it was going to suck if Tanya wasn't out of our lives for good soon.

* * *

I didn't stop thinking about Jacob's behavior all day long. It didn't matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to shake the strange feeling I had about him. Which was absolutely ridiculous. Anyone would be annoyed with the police swarming their building and interrupting their daily lives. I was simply being paranoid.

But that didn't explain his reaction to Tanya's name…

"You okay?" Edward asked, breaking out of my trance. "You seem… distracted."

I chewed on my lip as I strolled down the sidewalk beside him. "Sorry. I… Never mind."

He stopped and waited until I chanced a look at him before continuing. "Tell me."

"I… It's just paranoia."

"Bella."

"Okay, I ran into Jacob in the hall today after I left your apartment."

"And?"

"He asked what was going on with all of the police, and when Alice and I explained it to him, he seemed really annoyed."

"Understandable."

"Yeah, but…" I hesitated, though I didn't know why. "He asked what Tanya looked like. So I described her to him. Then he asked for her name, to sort of keep watch or whatever. When I told him that, he looked really pissed off. It was weird."

"You think there's something there?"

"No, I don't. But something was off. It was like he recognized the name. How would he know her, Edward?"

He stared out at the street as he thought about it. "I don't know," he said softly. "Maybe he knows her personally?"

I shook my head.

"So if that's out…"

"I told you I'm just being paranoid."

"What does your gut say?"

What did it say? I had so much turmoil going on inside me lately, I wasn't sure.

"That there's something off about him, like I said. That's all."

"Well, maybe we should tell the police."

I shrugged. "Maybe."

We took a few more steps toward our destination, and I decided that it was time for a change of subject.

"Where are we going exactly?"

"Wherever we want."

I stopped again and stared at him. "What?"

"Wherever we want," he repeated. "I don't know when we'll get to do it again, so I thought we'd just walk and see where we landed."

He looked unsure of himself. And absolutely adorable.

"Shit, I really do love you," I murmured to myself.

"What was that?"

"Uh, I was just saying that I loved that idea," I lied. Even if I was more sure about it than I'd been before, it was still way too early to be saying it aloud. In his presence.

He gave me a level look, like he didn't believe me, but let it go. "I'm glad."

Eventually, we stopped at a pizza place a few blocks away and slipped inside for dinner. I glanced around and grinned, noticing how mundane this all was. There were no cops standing guard, nor did we have Tanya to worry about watching us secretly from some bush outside.

It was perfect.

I leaned over and kissed Edward's cheek, accidentally leaving a spot of grease on it. I giggled at his expression and went to wipe it off, but he reached out and caught my hand in his.

"And that was because?"

"This was a great idea," I answered simply.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"You know, Bella, I…" He ran his thumb over my knuckles. "I really care about you. Almost more than I probably should at this point, but there you go. Feel free to run away screaming now."

"I'm not screaming."

"Well, that's good," he muttered dryly.

"You really care about me?"

"More than you could possibly imagine."

It was my turn to be wry. "I highly doubt that."

"Bella, I've never felt this way about anyone before. From the second I saw you, I… God, I can't even begin to describe it."

"I know," I responded.

His eyes snapped up to mine, hope burning brightly in them. And without him speaking a word, I knew. He loved me too.

I watched him for a moment, unable to contain my grin with this realization. "Well, you know, I really care about you too."

"Yeah?"

How could this man be so damn uncertain of himself all of a sudden? "Yeah."

"And I was kind of thinking," he murmured. "We should make this—us—official in some way."

"Oh?" I breathed. My heart fluttered in my chest in anticipation. "What'd you have in mind?"

"As seriously juvenile as this sounds, I was hoping to call you my girlfriend."

"Okay."

His responding smile was breathtaking, but I only got a glimpse of it before he pressed a kiss to my lips. Which was just fine by me. Feeling his lips move with mine was one of the best things I could ever imagine experiencing.

"I have a boyfriend," I joked when we finally broke apart. "A very smart, ridiculously hot one at that."

He laughed. "Well, my girlfriend's pretty fucking amazing herself. I mean have you seen her ass?"

I struggled not to laugh along with him.

"Go on. Laugh. I know you want to."

I shook my head obstinately but ended up letting out a traitorous giggle anyway.

We finished dinner and ended up decided just to go back to the apartment building. Sure, we could have stayed out and relished our freedom until the very last second, but it wasn't like we could escape reality for much longer. And hiding… Well, it wasn't exactly something I'd been taught to do as the chief of police's daughter. Using the law to the best of my advantage had been ingrained in me since birth. There were ways to force Tanya's hand, using the safety net of the entire police force.

I just wasn't exactly sure how to go about that yet.

The second we walked through the door of our apartment building, Edward's hands started roaming my body. I giggled and swatted him away, but he was persistent, barely acknowledging my weak protests before nearly attacking me again.

"Edward," I finally managed as we neared the stairwell. "We're in the fucking lobby."

"Your point is?" he asked lowly, letting his fingers trail the skin just under the waistband of my jeans. "I'm so getting inside these tonight."

He dipped them lower and my eyes nearly rolled back. "Um, I uh," I stammered. "We need to get up the steps."

He let out a smug laugh. "Problems?"

"Only if we're not naked soon."

"So then move, Swan."

I forced myself to walk—not run—up the steps with Edward hot on my heels. Sex was definitely at the top of my fucking list right now.

"I ran into the girls that down the hall earlier," I heard a voice say from above. "Figured out what all the cops are doing around here without making a single call."

I recognized the voice as Jacob's and instantly ducked behind the first flight of steps, dragging Edward behind me. He gave me the oddest look, but nodded when I motioned for him to be quiet.

"… nice, but when the hell are they all going to go away? They're making things hard for us," a female voice replied.

"I know," he grumbled. "But here's the kicker. The reason for the hold up is none other than Tanya fucking Denali."

A gasp, and then a pause of steps. "Are you kidding me?"

"Nope. Small word, huh?"

"Yeah," the woman answered. A few seconds went by before she spoke again. "What are you planning on doing?"

"Nothing that would give away our identities," he said.

"But you do have a plan," she deduced.

He laughed. "Baby, I've always got a fucking plan."

I didn't breathe again until they'd gotten a good distance away from the stairwell, possibly even until they were completely out of the building again.

"What the fuck was that?" Edward asked, raking his hands through his hair.

Sex was now at the bottom of the list. Unfortunately.

"I'm not sure. But let's…" God, I couldn't believe I was about to say this, given my background. "Let's just keep it to ourselves."

Edward gave me an incredulous look.

"For now," I amended. "I don't want to make something out of nothing."

"It's not nothing, Bella," he growled.

I couldn't argue the logic of that. Not now. "Yeah, but still. Let's just get our facts straight before we start talking about it. We don't even know anything except that Jacob and this girl know who Tanya is and that whatever it is they're doing has been put on hold with her shenanigans."

Edward snorted at my description.

"We don't know anything about the how's or why's of this scenario. I just don't want to cause any unnecessary drama, you know?"

He nodded. "Okay, but you at least need to tell your father."

"Um, no," I shot back immediately.

"Bella."

I groaned but knew it wasn't such a bad idea. "Fine, whatever. I'll call him tomorrow. Maybe he can do some digging for us."

He stepped closer, enveloping me in his arms. I knew exactly what he was doing, and I more than welcomed the distraction. My brain needed a rest after all the speculation it'd been doing all day.

"Now," his voice sent chills down my spine, "where were we…?"

* * *

**Yeah, so some RL issues and a bit of sickness kept me from posting on time. So I apologize profusely for that. Really. **

**Thanks to MandyLeigh87 and ImHereToReview for asking me to do this :)**

**Um, I suppose I can shamelessly pimp my stuff out, so here it is: http:/www (dot) fanfiction (dot) net/u/ 1939988/ Jenny0719**. **Have at it, guys.**

**xx**

**Jen**


	13. Operation Exposé

**I don't own, I borrow. **

**This chapter was written for a Round-Robin collaboration by PickleMcGee. If you would like to join this story please PM us for more details. **

**HUGE thanks to sleepyvalentina for helping correct my severe grammar and comma issues. **

**We do a bit of time jumping in this chapter, it's been a week since the end of Chapter 12 and our six-some have been busy little bees! I tried to get back to the Humor/Romance theme a bit and introduce a new POV. I hope you enjoy reading my little contribution as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thanks for reading – enjoy!**

**=== [ PHC ] === Chapter 13: Operation Expos****é**** === [ PHC ] ===**

**APOV**

**Sunday – 1:45am**

The rough clearing of a throat brought me abruptly out of my inner musings and made my stomach drop to my feet. Peering at me through the bars of the dreary holding cell was Charlie, in all his Police Chief glory, porn stashe twitching with barely-concealed amusement. It still caught me off guard, how under his gaze I instantly fell back in time. Even as an independent twenty-something, facing the judgment of Chief Charlie Swan instantly made me feel like a kid caught with a hand in the cookie jar. Only this time, it wasn't a cookie jar it was the night stand drawer of the undercover FBI agent down the hall.

"So... Who wants to tell me why I had to leave the station in the middle of the night to bail my three favorite girls out of the slammer?" asked Charlie.

I squirmed on the cold metal bench unsure how to answer. While I tried to find words to explain our current predicament to the Chief, I looked down, watching my hands as they ran gently over Bella's hair while she slept soundly with her head in my lap.

**=== [ PHC ] ===**

**Saturday – 5:45pm (8 hours earlier)**

"Emmett, this'll never work!" Edward was livid at the latest plan for gathering clues into the identities of Jacob Black and his girlfriend Nessie. It had been nearly a week since he and Bella had overheard the two of them discussing Tanya in the stairwell and five full days since the six of us decided to implement Emmett's plan to gather information on the pair – A group effort he liked to call _Operation Expos__é_.

The plan was simple in theory. We were mostly interested in just how they knew Tanya, but definitely curious to know just what they were up to that the police presence would be interrupting. When Edward and Bella told Charlie about what they overheard, he immediately set out to find whatever background info he could. After all the recent drama, he didn't want to take any chances. Much to his concern and our frustration there was next to nothing to be found. It was as if they had never existed until about five years ago, and even then the details were scarce – No employer info, no previous addresses, no credit history. Not even a single parking ticket. Charlie insisted that Edward and Bella share everything they knew with the rest of us as soon as possible. It was better to have everyone on the same page so we could keep our eyes out for any other unusual activity together.

Operation Exposé, as Emmett explained, was a two-part plan. Part One was to make nice with Jake and Nessie, get them talking and try to find out more about their background. We hoped approaching them separately and bringing alcohol into the equation would get them to slip and share some truths beyond their cover story.

Part Two was a bit trickier. It meant getting into their apartment and snooping for deeper details. Ideally documented info we could send to Charlie to research, or any other ties to Edward's batshit crazy ex-girlfriend. Pictures, letters – whatever we could find would do.

Edward was not a fan of Part Two.

He hated the idea of us doing something even remotely like what Tanya had done to him. The invasion of privacy was still all too fresh. Emmett, however, insisted that this was a necessary step to take if we wanted to be proactive. Plus, if their activities were being "held up" by the cops hanging around, they were obviously up to no good. He quickly brought Jasper, Rose and me on-board with his idea. Bella opted to put on her best Switzerland impersonation, leaving Edward's complaints to fall on (mostly) deaf ears – At least at first.

Admittedly, all three of our previous tries to get into the apartment had crashed and burned. Jasper had only just barely made it out the last time, having been forced to slip out the sliding glass door and shimmy down a drainpipe off the balcony.

"Maybe we _should_ try something else Em, I mean, we've really gotten nowhere and they have to be suspicious by now." Bella chimed in. She was rubbing Edward's shoulders as he sat hunched over tugging at his hair in frustration.

I swore, that boy would go bald if he didn't knock it off. Which would be such a shame, he really did have great hair. I thought for a moment of sneaking some Rogaine into his shampoo.

"Belly Belly Belly, don't be so quick to give up, Squirt!" Emmett argued playfully as he ruffled up her hair before flopping down onto the sofa beside Rose. "We've only just gotten started, and I know those two are up to something."

"It's not giving up when the idea is all wrong to begin with, Emmett. We've given your insanity a shot, let's quit now before something really goes wrong. This isn't a _game,_ man!" Edward looked intently at Bella as he spoke before turning back to the rest of the group. "It's bad enough Tanya is out there somewhere with a vendetta. We don't need any more trouble, and we have no idea what we're dealing with here. Let's just stick with getting to know them better for now and keep an eye on things."

The look on Edward's face was a mixture of worry and guilt; I knew this was tearing him up. From what had Bella said he felt terrible for getting us all mixed up with the crazy that is Tanya. He didn't want anyone to get hurt just because of a girl he'd made the mistake of dating. He was especially worried about Bella. Based on Tanya's track record, she was clearly not above causing physical harm to anyone or anything which stood in her way. While the rest of us found comfort in taking action, our plans only seemed to add to his growing anxiety over Bella's safety. Tanya had been MIA since her release, and no one was quite sure whether or not that was a good thing.

After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, Emmett let out a heavy sigh. "All right man, we'll take it down a notch for now. But the second they step out of line, I'm finding a way into that apartment, even if I have to use my mad ninja skills and scale the building!"

At the mention of ninja skills, Rose let out a most ungraceful snort, sending me and Bella into hysterical giggles.

"Nin… Nin… NINJA SKILLS?" I fell to the floor clutching my middle.

"Are those anything like Jasper's ninja skills, Em? That drainpipe shimmy was pretty rough… are you sure that's a good idea?" Bella teased, barely ducking the throw pillow my Jazzy tossed her way.

"Aww c'mon! Don't start! You try getting down the side of a building in a hurry and let me know how smooth your exit is!"

Bella just snickered quietly and gave a non-committal shrug before walking around the sofa to grab Edward by the hand.

"Well kids, it's been real, but I'm in need of a break from all the espionage." She turned to look at Edward, "can we get outta here for a while?"

Edward nodded. His gaze softening and the tension melting from his stance as he rose to his feet and slipped an arm around her waist to lead her out the door.

They really were too cute. It had been so long since Bella had been with anyone, let alone had a relationship. I had a really good feeling about these two. I had a good feeling about all of us really. Us girls had been together for so long and it always seemed like enough but now, I realized just how much was missing before. Somehow, I knew we would be together for the long haul, our little group of six made me feel so whole.

After Edward and Bella headed out, the four of us lounged around the boys' apartment going over the past week and the bits of information we had managed to piece together about the mysterious Jacob and Nessie, and most importantly how they could possibly be connected to Tanya.

**=== [ PHC ] ===**

**Monday – 3:30pm (6 days ago)**

Bella and Edward were, once again, holed up in her room, so we gave them some privacy. We decided to head downstairs for some much needed pool time. A mid-summer heat wave was in full effect, giving us the perfect opportunity to work on our tans.

Once we'd gotten a couple hours of UV rays and had a quick swim, we packed up and headed back upstairs. When I spotted Jake in the gym, I pointed him out to Rose and took off like a rocket. I couldn't get up the stairs and into the boys' apartment fast enough. I didn't want our first opportunity to pass us by! Out of breath, missing a flip-flop and with my towel barley wrapped around my waist, I burst through the door. Jazz and Emmett leapt from their seats on the sofa mid-battle on the Xbox in surprise.

"Ali what's wrong? Are you okay? Where are you hurt? Did you see Tanya? Is there a fire?" Jasper ran to my side immediately, patting me down and looking for injuries or clues to my bizarre behavior.

My Jazzy was so cute when he was frazzled, his normally cool calm and collected demeanor crumbling so quickly at my frantic entrance. A few moments later, in strolled Rose shaking her head in amusement.

"She's fine; we're fine. We saw Jake down in the gym on our way back from the pool and she ran up here to-"

I cut her off before she could finish. Eager to get the boys downstairs and onto our first mission, "youhavetogobumpintohim!" I barely managed to get out between breaths. "It's…" Gasp. "a perfect…" Wheeze. "opportunity to…" Hiccup. "to catch him."

Jazz pulled me gently into his lap rubbing my back in soothing circles while Emmett and Rose chuckled away. Why they thought this was funny was beyond me; we had work to do! It was Emmett's master plan after all, he should be taking this more seriously I thought with a huff.

"Ali girl, you sure you don't want to go down to the gym instead? Seems like you could use some endurance training…" Emmett ribbed as Jazz gave him a pointed look, eyebrow raised in challenge.

He's always had my back, my sweet sweet man. I decided I would definitely have to thank him for that later.

"Em… bro she's right. No time like the present, let's ride." He gave a quick fist pump before sliding my off his lap and onto the couch so he could stand.

The boys made their way out and locked up the apartment after seeing Rose and I safely across the hall. As we walked through the door I noticed a conspicuous trail of clothing leading from the kitchen towards the hallway and Bella's bedroom… apparently the pair made it out of her room for a little bit after all. Rose noticed too and we gave each other matching grins. Bella was soooo gonna get it later, teasing her for sexytime details was one of our favorite pastimes.

"Oookay, so since the boys are busy with Jake, and Bella is apparently busy helping Eddie-boy perfect his sex hair why don't we go do some reconnaissance of our own huh?" suggested Rose.

"I like the way you think my darling BFF. How about we change and go pay Miss Nessie a little visit? Meet you back here in fifteen?" Rose gave a quick wink and we headed off to our rooms to switch into some dry clothes.

Twenty minutes later, we were busy trying to coax a reluctant Nessie out for some girl time when the boys came trotting up the stairs with Jake. From the sounds of it, they were trying to talk Jake into hanging out back at their place. Throwing out offers of Xbox, beers and pizza – Their usual male bonding experience.

"See Ness, the boys are going to be busy being boys tonight anyway. Please come with us, we're down a friend and would love to get to know you better. Pleeeaaase?" I begged in my sweetest way, batting my lashes for dramatic effect.

"Seriously Nessie, do you see what I'll have to suffer through alone if you don't join us? Imagine that…" Rose pointed at me "but moping. You're my only hope to salvage my evening!"

"Hey!" I smacked her shoulder none too lightly while Nessie, Jake and the rest laughed at my expense.

"Umm, well if you're gonna hang with the boys honey then I guess I'm going out..." Nessie and Jake shared a look and some silent communication before he nodded and told the boys he'd be over in thirty after a quick shower and changing out of his sweaty work-out gear.

I gave a quick squeal of triumph and stuck my tongue out at Rose, causing another round of laughter before we headed out for the night. Rose and I decided to start slowly with mani/pedi's at a little salon just a few blocks down from our apartment complex. Then we'd do dinner and drinks at, El Burro de Loco, our favorite Mexican restaurant. We spent the night chatting and telling stories of growing up. Well mostly it was Rose and me telling stories and trying to gently pry anything we could out of Nessie. Lucky for us, we were used to getting details out of a particularly tight-lipped brunette and after all these years, our finely honed skills were paying off.

By the time we started our fourth round of margaritas, she was carrying on about her adventures growing up as the youngest of five and the only girl to boot! She and Rose hit it off big time once she mentioned her love for fast cars, and they went on for a million years about their favorite makes and models and the various modifications they'd do if they had their dream cars. I tuned most of that conversation out. As far as I was concerned as long as the car was running and rust free I was a happy camper in the automobile department.

I hoped the boys were having similar success, so I shot off a text to Jasper for an update. His reply was immediate. Apparently Jake and Emmett had quite a few beers under their belts and were in the middle of an epic tennis match in Wii Sports. This was excellent news! The boys only switched over to the Wii when they were too toasty to play their crazy war games on the Xbox. From the slightly-misspelled texts Jazz was sending, it sounded like they had gotten Jake to slip up a bit. Something about he and Nessie playing the role of boyfriend/girlfriend for work and how it had gone from pretend to real in a hurry. I couldn't wait to get the details on that! What job would possibly require them to play house? I was feeling pretty warm and fuzzy myself, after all the tequila, and decided to think more about that little tidbit in a more sober moment.

Not long after that Rose got a call from Bella, having apparently decided to come up for air, asking us what we were up to. She and Edward agreed to come down and pick us up from the restaurant and get us safely home. The walk wasn't long, but it was late and the margarita haze was in full effect. Safety first!

**=== [ PHC ] ===**

**Tuesday – 12:15pm (5 days ago)**

The next morning I woke up snuggled up behind Rose in her bed, still in my dress and shoes from the night before. A quick glance at the clock told me it was just after noon. I turned back to Rose and nudged her gently. Or maybe not. She rolled right off the bed with a thud. Whoops!

"Ow! What the hell?" Rose sat up and peeked at me with one eye over the side of the bed. "Damnit Al…"

"Sorry sorry sorry! I apologized, "but we have to get up! It's time for a shower and to rouse the troops – we needed to recap pronto!"

Rose just rolled her eyes and grumbled at me as she crawled to her feet and stumbled off towards the bathroom.

I walked out into the living room and found my purse tossed on the kitchen counter. Plucking out my cell, I quickly dialed Jazz while I started a fresh pot of coffee.

"Hello?" his sleepy voice answered.

"Hi baby, sorry to wake you but we need to get everyone together and compare notes!"

"Okay, okay Ali… easy there, tiger. I'll go see about waking the boys and get them over to your place as soon as I can. If they're feeling anything like I am, you're gonna have to provide coffee though. Lots and lots of coffee." He yawned then and I could hear his sheets rustling as he climbed out of bed.

"Already on it and I've got Rose awake and in the shower. I'll go check on Bella right now, unless she's over there with Edward?"

"I dunno… So far all I see is Em face down on the couch right now." He chuckled quietly and said he'd get Emmett up and on his way as soon as he could before we ended our call.

I found Bella in her room lounging on her bed reading and let her know the boys would be over in a bit to discuss our findings from _Operation Expos__é_.

Soon the gang was gathered together in our living room, coffees-in-hand, sharing all the important details from the day before. The boys had discovered that Jake had been transferred to town by his job from somewhere on the east coast and was required to be "real good with research". The pair met "on the job" and were only pretending to be a couple at first before they ended up falling for one another for real. She was the love of his life and he hated having to hide it whenever they dealt with their home office. He never did open up about what exactly they did for work that required them to play the part of lovers, but we had some ideas.

From Nessie, we gathered that she was just as crazy about Jake as he was for her, it was kind of sweet and made it hard for me to believe these two were up to no good. They seemed so normal, but then again it was their job to play pretend. Maybe their normalcy was part of the act too?

Rose filled us in on her conversation with Nessie and I got caught up on the parts I had missed while texting with Jazz. Apparently, she wasn't just a gearhead but also quite handy at engineering and repairing all sorts of mechanical odds and ends.

None of us were quite sure where that left us, but we agreed to keep "bumping into" the pair and digging for more dirt. Little did we know just what we were getting ourselves into…

**A/N: **

**So there we are, I hope you enjoyed it and I did this story justice. I've been blown away by the talent and creativity of the lovely participants in the collab, I can't wait to see where we end up in the end! Thanks for allowing me to come along for the ride.**

**El Burro de Loco is not a real place (sad face) at least not that I know of. It is my fictional nod to an old haunt of mine here in San Diego which is sadly no longer around. Their margaritas (well, the bartenders and their heavy hands) were things of legend and I'm positive they would have made even the most hardcore FBI agent a bit looser lipped after their 4****th**** round ;) **


	14. Wanna Getaway?

**Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. I'm just dabbling a bit. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by mostly a lurker. **

**Special shout out to sleepyvalentina for passing her eyeballs over this bad boy and Southwest Airlines' tag line "Wanna Getaway?" for inspiring this chapter. **

**On with the show. . . .**

_This is a fucking train wreck. _

My life was a train wreck happening in super-fast and super-slow motion. At the instant I thought I was getting away from the crazy and starting over with a clean slate, Tanya's hand reached out like a claw and pulled me back into her vortex of insanity, and this time, everyone was pulled in with me.

_I never meant for my poor choices to affect my friends, my family, my girl. _

But the truth of the matter was I'd made them and they were affecting us all. I sighed and raked my hand through my hair for the umpteenth time that morning. The constant presence of my guard detail, my ever-present worry about Bella and desire to protect her and keep her safe, the demands of my job, and Emmett's absurd _Operation Exposé_ were all closing in on me and I had to get out, even if it was just for a little while.

Without explanation, I walked out of my office and into a rare sunny summer morning. The beauty of the day did nothing to improve my mood, actually, it only served to increase my sense of being trapped and unable to escape.

_Fucking hopeless, helpless, imbecile! Think! There _has_ to be a way out of this mess!_

I wanted a smoke, _bad_. It'd been years and years since I'd last sparked up, had walked away cold turkey and never looked back. Things must be much worse than I realized if _that_ desire crossed my mind.

Looking up suddenly, my attention was caught by a large poster in the window of a storefront across the street.

**Life getting you down? Need to escape? Try one of our weekend getaway packages today!**

I didn't even hesitate. I ran across the street through a break in traffic and whipped the door open. Hiding my desperation was not an option, it rolled off me in waves. The cute blonde behind the desk looked up from her computer and greeted me.

"I'm Melody. Can I help you sir?"

"I sure hope so. I saw your sign in the window?" I gestured over my shoulder.

"Sure! Looking for anything in particular?"

"Escape." The word burst from my mouth before I even thought about it.

"Okay. What kind of escape?"

"Um, what do you have?"

"We have several type of weekend packages available. Would you like to sit down?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." I wanted to be embarrassed by my awkward behavior, but I was honestly too desperate to care. This woman offered hope and I found I was willing to pay anything, go anywhere, do anything just to get away. I sat in one of the plastic chairs in front of her desk as she pulled a binder from one of her desk drawers and opened it.

"When were you looking to go?"

"Immediately."

"This weekend?"

"Yes, please. Whatever you have available."

"Is this for yourself?"

"Yes. No. Um, I mean. . . For me and my girlfriend."

She couldn't hide her disappointment at the word girlfriend, but quickly recovered. "A special occasion?"

"No, not really."

"Well, we have a nature adventure weekend, a spa weekend, a golf weekend, a wine and food weekend, and a farm/fishing weekend available starting Friday night."

I hummed in response while my brain whirred.

_What would Bella like? What kind of girl was she?_ It was then that I realized I didn't know her very well at all. _Golf? She doesn't strike me as the golfing type and who in the hell wanted to farm/fish for the weekend? Not me. . . . _

"Tell me about the nature adventure, spa, and wine and food weekends."

"Well, the nature adventure is up in the mountains. You hike in to your fully stocked remote cabin. Meals are freshly prepared over a campfire or hearth. There are nature trails, swinging bridges, an afternoon of zip lining through the trees, rock climbing and/or repelling, birdwatching, and sometimes there is wildlife to view. There is no electricity, phone service – cell or landline – but there is running water with a toilet and tub inside the cabin, and a shower outside. No hot tub. It's modern rustic and romantic. Meals, zip line and rock climbing are all provided by our professionals and you are able to pick and choose your activities and activity level."

_That sounds fucking awesome, I'd _love_ that. But would Bella?_

Melody checked something on her computer before speaking. "We have two spa packages available this weekend, actually. One is at the Sweet Valley Inn and Spa and the other is at The Birches." She handed me a couple of brochures as she continued speaking. "The Sweet Valley Inn is very homey and rustic, with home-style meals served in their dining room. They only have ten to twelve guests at a time and their services are somewhat limited. Electricity and running water, but no cell service. A landline is available in the main office for telephone calls, but only during regular business hours. It is located in a remote and beautiful valley accessible only by float plane.

"The Birches is an upscale facility with a full menu of spa treatments individually tailored for men and women – body wraps, wet rooms, massage, facials, saunas, steam rooms, and whirlpools. Some treatments are available in room. They are located a short drive away at a nearby natural hot spring. They have a full restaurant, a twenty-four hour cafe, as well room service. I must warn you, much of the facility is clothing optional with both gender separated and co-ed facilities – clothing is required in all public spaces, just not within the baths and spa facilities themselves."

I had nothing to say to that, so she moved on.

"We only have one food and wine weekend left for this weekend, I'm sorry. If you're willing to wait until next. . . ."

I cut her off. "No, must be this weekend. Can't wait."

"All right then, the package available is the Honeymoon Suite at the Wiltshire Winery. You are greeted with wine, cheese, and fruit in your room. The suite is upstairs in the main house and has a lovely view of the winery. Large, two person jacuzzi is in room along with a working fireplace. All meals are served in room. Package includes wine tasting on Saturday and Sunday, side-by-side couples' massages in room, facials for you both, and one spa treatment of your choice each. This is our most romantic getaway.

Do any of these sound like something you're interested in?"

"The first sounds incredible, I'd love that, but I'm not so sure about my girlfriend. The Sweet Valley place sounds nice but is maybe a little small, the third sounds pretty fancy, and I know we'd like the wine and food one but we haven't been dating all that long, so maybe it's over the top? I'll be honest, I don't really have a clue about these things. What would you recommend?"

"Well, the adventure weekend is really best for people who like that. If your girlfriend isn't the rustic camping out type, I would set that aside for now. The Wiltshire package is _very_ romantic. Essentially designed for spending the weekend in your room, so. . . ." She swallowed before speaking again. "Sweet Valley is just that – it's very sweet and cozy. It's honestly best booked as a group of four to six couples. With all that being said, I think The Birches might be your best option. It's a large facility with an al a carte menu of food and activities to choose from. There's even a nine-hole golf course, tennis courts, and gym facility on the grounds if you want to add more activity and less spa to your weekend."

"Sounds great. Book it." I handed her my card.

_Whoever is guarding us is gonna have quite a weekend. . . ._

= PHC =

As we pulled up to the valet, I thought back over the last few days. Bella was completely thrilled with the idea of a weekend getaway and had spent several evenings pouring over the activities and spa services menu debating her options before making her final choices. I let her choose mine, too, while she was at it – I mean, I'm a guy, what did I know about it? I told her a two-hour massage was mandatory, but beyond that I was open to anything she picked. So I didn't have any idea what was coming and I couldn't have cared less. All that mattered was I was out of town, unreachable, had Bella all to myself, and was guaranteed a badly needed massage. Anything else was gravy.

"Ready, babe?" I asked her as the valets opened our doors.

"Beyond ready." She smiled broadly at me before exiting the car.

"Welcome to The Birches. You must be Edward and Isabella. I'm Maggie. We've been expecting you." A very tan, fit, stunning redhead greeted us before we even reached the door.

"Bella. It's just Bella."

"All right then, Bella. If you will follow me. . . ." Maggie turned and breezed through the doors into the sumptuous lobby. "Maxwell will take your bags up to your suite while I give you a brief tour. Edward, Mathias will be meeting you in the gym on the half hour, while Bella, Katie will meet you poolside at the same time. Starting with a vigorous activity is an excellent idea and a great way to transition into your weekend of pampering and relaxation."

Bella ducked her head blushing a bit. "Thanks, but it was Sherri's idea. There were so many things to choose from, I called here to get some advice."

"Ah. Sherrie's our best concierge. She's been here since we opened and she really knows our services better than anyone else on staff. Now, as I'm sure you've guessed, this is the main lobby. Through that door there is the salon, this is our gift shop, the cafe is next door, and over there is the restaurant. All these areas clothing is required."

Maggie turned and headed for an impressive set of double doors. "Through these doors is the heart of our property, the spa. Once we cross this threshold, clothing becomes optional." She swung the right door open and stepped through, holding the door for us. "The hallway to the left leads to the men's locker room and spa, the hallway to the right leads to the women's, and the middle doorway leads to the co-ed facilities. There are no locker rooms or showers in the mixed gender area of the spa, only baths, whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms and the like. In all three areas there are spaces for silence and spaces for talking. Please respect the signs and our other guests. Although clothing is optional, please refrain from sexual play in the public spaces. You will be asked to return to your room if you violate this rule.

"Everything is provided for you here. You'll find a robe and slippers in your locker. Shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, facial cleansers, razors, hairdryers, lotions, moisturizers, and the like are all stocked in the showers and grooming areas. Do you have any questions?"

A little intimidated, I shook my head as Bella shook hers.

"Excellent. I'll show you to your suite now, and you should have just enough time to change for your first appointments." Maggie lead us out of the spa foyer, through the lobby, and to the elevators. As she pressed the up button, Maggie spoke again. "There are a separate set of elevators so that you may reach the spa from your suite in comfort without having to go through the main lobby."

The elevator arrived at that moment, and soon Maggie ushered us into a luxurious suite. "Edward, Bella? Here are your locker keys for the weekend, and here is your room key. Be sure to carry your room key with you at all times as it is needed to access the elevator to and from the spa facility as well as the exit doors to activities in other buildings. Your individual schedules as well as a map and phone directory are there for you on the desk. I hope you'll enjoy your stay at The Birches. Please don't hesitate to call on myself, Sherrie, or Liam for any need or question you may have."

"Thank you, Maggie," Bella said quietly.

"Yes, thanks." I smiled and shook her hand.

"My pleasure."

And then we were alone. Really alone. Together. In a fancy suite. At a luxury spa. I turned to where Bella had been standing next to me, but she wasn't there. Blinking slowly a couple of times, I looked up to find her drifting slowly around the room looking at everything while touching nothing.

"Bella? You all right?"

"Is this real? Am I. . . are _we_ actually here?"

"Um, yeah. We are. Is it. . . I mean. . . are you. . . okay?"

She turned to me with the most radiant grin I'd ever seen cross her face. "Yes. I'm fine. This is _incredible_. Wow."

I couldn't help my answering grin. I didn't know if it was the surroundings, the way the filtered light fell softly across her face and hair, the tension we'd been under, or what, but I was momentarily stunned by her beauty. I felt a strange twist in the pit of my stomach and an unfamiliar warmth spread through my chest.

_Mine. This gorgeous creature is mine for now. She's here with _me_ in this moment_. _How did that happen? Now? This moment? But no, that's not enough. . . ._

I sagged suddenly, putting my arm upon the wall to hold myself up under the weight of the realization.

_. . . I want her forever. I want to be hers, and her to be mine. . . always. _

"Edward? Edward! Are you all right? Here, come sit down on the sofa."

I waved her off. "No, no, I'm fine. I just. . . it all. . . ." I shook my head slightly to clear my thoughts. "I'm good. Sorry, everything just sorta hit me all at once there. I'm fine now. We'd better change and head down. Don't want to be late right out of the gate."

"Yeah, sure. If you're okay. . . ."

"Yeah, I'm fine. No worries. It was just a little more than I was expecting, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah I do. This is way more than I dreamed, even though I looked over the brochure and everything. You're right, we'd better get going."

We found our bags on racks against the wall in the bedroom and quickly changed. I found myself actually looking forward to a good workout with the trainer. I needed to rid myself of some of this tension and nervous energy or I would never relax.

"Bella? Ready to go babe?" I asked through the closed bathroom door.

"Yup, be right out!"

I looked at the map to know where I needed to go and Bella joined me to check her way, too. We made short work of the hallway to the elevators and down to the ground floor.

"Have a good swim, sweetheart." I kissed her on the head.

"You have a great workout, but not too strenuous. I have plans to work you out myself later." She gave me a devilish grin, pecked me on my lips and dashed off before I could grab her and make us any later than we already were.

= PHC =

The rest of the day passed in a slow, languorous, sensual fashion. Our strenuous workouts were followed by two hour deep tissue massages (augmented with hot rocks) in our suite. I can't speak for Bella, but I was a limp noodle after that. We opted for a light supper _en suite_, and though I tried my hardest to stay awake, I crashed before Bella even finished eating.

When I awoke, it was hours later and I was in bed wrapped around Bella's warm, soft body. I had no idea how I'd gotten there, but I found I really didn't care. Burying my nose in her hair and breathing deeply, I hummed my pleasure and stretched my stiff, slowly waking body. A tiny corner of my brain felt bad about what I was going to do, but it was loudly shouted down by my little brain as I snuggled up closer behind Bella and slipped my hand around her body to cup her breast. I was hungry, starving even, but not for food, for the delicious creature sleeping in my arms.

I started nuzzling her neck, sucking gently against the tender flesh as I played with her nipple. Feeling her body stir slightly, I began rubbing myself against her ass. She sighed softly, and her hand moved back to grasp my thigh, though her eyes didn't open. I shifted my hips slightly so my cock slipped between her legs as her back arched slightly. As I continued my slow, gentle thrusting, I slipped between her lips to find her wet and ready for me, while still being mostly or completely asleep. When my tip found her entrance of its own accord, a very soft moan sounded deep in her throat. Taking that as permission, I gradually filled her heat with my throbbing warmth. We both sighed when I was finally fully sheathed, but it was only when I started moving rhythmically within her did she fully awaken.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it feel like I'm doing?" I thrust deeper to emphasize my words.

"Oh! Ungh. . . . You couldn't, ah. . . wait for me?"

"No, not. . . really. I was too. . . hungry for. . . ohhh. . . you."

She hummed in response and pulled my head to hers and kissed me deeply.

"Want. . . me. . .to stop?" I asked when I broke her kiss.

"Not on. . . your. . .oh, ah. . . fuck me!"

"I am. . . ah. . . Bella. . . ."

I bit down lightly on her shoulder as she pulled on my hip urging me to go faster, deeper. Whispers, moans, sighs, and groans were the only accompaniment to the sounds of skin sliding against skin.

_I could go all night like this. Oh, oops, no, I can't. . . ._

My body caught me off guard and I came long and hard, breathing her name like a prayer.

_Did she? I can't. . . I don't know. . . ._

"Baby, I'm sorry. . . I was, um. . . not expecting that. Did you. . . ."

"Shhhh, Edward. . . . God, that was intense. I've never felt it like that before." She was still panting. "No, I, um, didn't, but um. . . don't need to. I think I, um. . . I picked up on yours or something. I. . . I don't know. . . but I promise, I'm, uh, good."

I rolled her over and studied her face. She looked better than good, she looked how I felt, radiant. Blissed out. I smiled a goofy wide grin at her before claiming her mouth with my own. Breaking the kiss, I pulled her close to my side and felt her head snuggle into my chest. I pressed my lips to her head and whispered, "I love you, Bella."

She only sighed in response and I realized she was sound asleep.

The next morning, we went down for an early breakfast. I was having a hard time keeping my hands off of her, so she insisted we go to the restaurant so she could eat in relative peace. As we were sitting looking over the menu, an unexpected voice broke through my mental fog.

"You kids have a nice night?"

Our heads snapped up at the same instant. I didn't recognize him but Bella sure did.

"Charlie?"


	15. Chapter 15

**Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by fanofsilvervolvos4life & edward5953.  
**

**A/N **waves** Hey all! I'm fanofsilvervolvos4life. I've been so excited to do this since I signed up. OK...Time for a little shameless plug now...go check out my stories Scarred and my new one Come What May. I also have some O/S on there as well. Also, don't forget to check out edward5953's stories. Hope you enjoy our entry.**

**Charlie POV**

I couldn't believe that Edward and Bella were going to the Birches of all places for relaxation. I'd been keeping an eye on that place ever since I found out that Aro Volturi owned it. I also found out that Jacob and Nessie were watching Jane Volturi for some law enforcement company.

I decided to give their regular bodyguard off this weekend and guarded them myself. I didn't really want to know what they were doing but needed to keep an eye on them. I couldn't believe they picked this place with the "clothing optional" area, but knew my Bella and she would avoid that. They had their mandatory massages but wasn't sure what else they had planned.

I knew that they needed this time for relaxation. I decided not to tell them why I was here and they definitely didn't need to know that I was guarding them. I couldn't understand how Edward could get involved with this Tanya person, who was connected with the Volturi family, since her father worked for them. I also found out that Jane had bailed Tanya out of jail, so I had no clue on what they are planning.

I saw Edward and Bella come down for breakfast and had to say something, so I could finally meet Edward and get an idea on what type of person he really is. Maybe he had no clue about who Tanya really was.

"You kids have a nice night?"

**Bella POV**

"Charlie?" I gave him a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Do you have any idea what type of place this is?"

"Yes, you're talking about the "clothing optional" area, aren't you?" I flashed a smile. "You know me. We aren't obligated for that area. We came here for some peaceful relaxation and plan on enjoying other things beside that. Oh! Charlie, this is Edward Cullen. Edward, this is my dad, Charlie Swan."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, sir." Edward smiled and shook Charlie's hand. "I just want to thank you for all your help. I really appreciate it."

Charlie shook Edward's hand in return. I noticed he was sizing him up in the process. I gave him a look to say knock it off.

"No problem, Edward. If Bella trusts you then so do I." I smiled and intervened in their conversation.

"So, Charlie, remind me why you're here again?"

"We got a call about a disturbance and was helping a fellow officer out. I also heard Emmett talking about you guys coming here and just wanted to make sure you're okay." I laughed.

"It's nice to know that even though I'm an adult, my dad still likes to keep an eye on me. We're fine. Just trying to relax a bit. Do you want to join us for breakfast?" I saw a small smile form.

"Sure. I'm starving."

We had a nice breakfast and told Charlie our plans for the day.

"We're going to walk around the grounds and play a little mini golf. There's an arcade we wanted to check out too," I said with a grin.

"I'm glad to hear that, Bella. It sounds like it should be a nice relaxing time then. With everything you guys are going through, you both really could use it." He looked down at his watch, "Oh. I got to get going." He reached over and gave me a hug, "Take care kid."

"I will, Charlie. Thank you." He smiled at me, and then held out his hand to Edward.

"Take care of my daughter, son. She's my life." Edward took his hand and looked him in the eye.

"I will, sir. You can count on it." Charlie seemed to be pleased with what Edward said because I saw a genuine smile spread across his face.

"That's what I wanted to hear." With that, Charlie walked out of the building. Edward looked at me, letting out a sigh of relief.

"I think that went well?" I laughed.

"Yes. I think it did." I took Edward's hand, "So, you want to go on that walk now, Mr. Cullen?" He looked at me, took my hand grinning from ear to ear.

"Let's go, Miss Swan."

It was a beautiful day out. Not too hot and not too cold. It was perfect. We walked in silence for about a minute before I had a thought. _Why was Charlie _really_ there?_

"Don't you think it's strange that Charlie showed up here? I wouldn't put it past him to be our guard this weekend." Edward suddenly stopped walking, his eyes bugging out of his head.

"Oh God! I hope not, Bella. I just want to relax and have some fun. Not worry that your father is going to kill me by trying to make a move on you." I couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't let him bother you, baby. He wouldn't want to do that. Let's just make the best of this mini vacation, OK?" He nodded, so I turned and gave him a passionate kiss. He seemed to relax a bit after that.

We did end up enjoying our day and dinner. When we got back to our room, I had plans for Edward. I set him down on the bed, giving him a chaste kiss, whispering against his lips.

"Don't move." I got up off the bed and started to head towards the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. Before we left earlier, I got sneaky and placed a bag with a sexy black bra and pantie set under the sink so he wouldn't find it. I grabbed the bag out and started putting the lacy number on. About five minutes go by and I finally appeared out of the bathroom, leaning myself against the doorway. I thought Edward's eyes bugged out of his head earlier, but this time they looked like they were going to fall out of his head. He went to stand up, but I put my hand up.

"Ah ah ah, Mr. Cullen. You stay right there." Without taking his eyes off me, he did what he was told and sat back down on the bed. I walked over to the stereo, still feeling his eyes on my every move. It just so happened that the radio had a spot for my iPod, so I plugged it in and found my "Sexy" Playlist. 'Hands All Over' by Maroon 5 was the first song to play. I grabbed the chair that was sitting at the desk on the other side of the room and placed it in the middle of the floor. I gave him the 'come hither' motion with my finger and patted the chair. I watched as he slowly got up from the bed, his eyes never leaving mine as he walked over and sat down in the chair. I shimmied my way over to him with a big old smirk on my face, placing my hands on the back of the chair, leaning fairly close to his face.

"You ready for what I have in store for you, stud?"

**Edward POV**

I could feel my eyes bugging out of my head at what she said and how close she was to me.

"I...uh...um..." I mentally smacked myself. _Snap out of it jackass! _I shook my head trying to clear it. I heard Bella giggle evilly as she started a nice, slow grind. She started at my chest and slowly worked her way down my body. I couldn't help the moan that came out when she reached my crotch. She started grinding against me and when I went to put a hand on her hip, she smacked it away.

"No touchy." I let out another moan as she smacked me. Since I had no idea what to do with my hands, I gripped the edge of the chair as hard as I could. I began to sweat, not only because she was awfully close to my body, but because I was trying so hard to be good and do what I was told. Who'd thought that it would be so hard? Uh...take that any way you want. After she went a few times up and down my body, she started to slowly remove her panties. Next, she slowly removed her bra, throwing that onto the floor next to the growing pile of clothes. Now, Bella was completely naked in front of me. I started to really sweat now because I wanted to touch her so bad, but couldn't. She leaned over me again, I started gripping the side of the chair even tighter as I heard her whisper into my ear, "Let go of the chair." I did what I was told and she started removing my clothes. First my shirt, then she removed both my boxer briefs and my pants all in one shot. One minute I was dressed, the next, I was completely naked, still sitting in the chair. It was around this time I heard the chorus of the song.

Put your hands all over me please talk to me, talk to me  
Tell me everything, it's gonna be alright  
Put your hands all over me  
Please walk with me, walk with me now  
Love is a game you say  
Play me and put me away

She continued her sexy lap dance. Every time she gyrated against my now aching cock, the closer I came to losing my mind. Without thinking, I finally grabbed her hips and flipped us around so she was now leaning over the chair and I was behind her. I pressed my chest against her back, leaning over to her ear, chuckling evilly.

"You, Miss Swan, are going to be the death of me," I whispered huskily. I lined myself up to her hot center, rubbing against her clit, and whispered into her ear again, "Do I have permission to fuck you senseless now?" I nipped at her ear while I waited for the answer. I heard her breathing hitch and she gasped.

"Yes." By the time she ended her answer, I was sliding slowly inside her, both of us letting out a low moan at the feeling. I stilled myself inside her, taking her in as she leaned over the chair. I placed my hand on her back, lightly touching it as I slid my hand down to her one hip, then placed my other hand on her other hip. I leaned over, kissing and occasionally nipping at her spine then gripped her hips firmly as I started a slow but firm pace with her. Bella gasped again.

"Please. Go faster baby." I was going to keep this nice slow pace to keep her in suspense as she had me in, but my cock had other ideas. I complied and started going faster. I felt her hand come around and grip at my ass. I let out a grown, which also made me go faster. Bella started really moaning and I could feel her walls starting to twitch around my cock. I wrapped my arms around her keeping her close to me and brought one hand down to her clit rubbing small, fast circles around it, growling into her ear.

"Cum for me, my love." No sooner did I get the words out that she was cumming fast and hard. I pumped a few more times into her and felt my release soon after hers. I collapsed against Bella's back, not thinking about where we were, which in turn made her collapse to the floor. We didn't care though. We just lay where we landed, in a pile of limbs clinging to each other. She wrapped her arms around my head as I lay on her chest, running her fingers through my hair. It was then that I heard the sweetest words whispered into my ear.

"I love you, Edward Cullen." I continued to lay there with a cheesy grin on my face. I wrapped my arms around her, keeping her close to me.

"I love you too, Isabella Swan." I leaned up and kissed her gently. I took her hand and helped her up off the floor, leading her to the bed. I pulled back the covers, letting her crawl into bed and then I followed after. Bella cuddled up onto my chest, wrapping her arms around me. I wrapped my arms around her in return, kissing the top of her head as sleep took over the both of us.

3333

The next day we headed back to reality and had no idea about the news that was waiting for us.

We had shut our phones off so we could relax without interruptions. Bella looked at her phone, then looked at me with a pout, followed by a fake whine.

"Man. Do we have to go back?" I chuckled, kissing the top of her head and loaded the last of the stuff into the car.

"I know exactly how you feel. But yes, unfortunately we do." As we talked, we both turned our phones back on, then jumped into the car, heading down the road back towards home. It was about a minute after we turned the phones on that they both started going crazy. We both looked at each other, and I handed my phone off to her since I was driving.

"We're both getting texts. I hope everything is OK." She started going through the texts she was receiving. Then I heard her gasp. It scared me.

"What is it, Bella?" She tried to cover it, but I could see that her hands were shaking. I reached over and took her hand, "Please tell me baby." She then told me what the messages said.

"Rose says that Tanya got bailed out of jail by Jane Volturi." At hearing Jane's name, I suddenly felt like I wanted to throw up.

"Rose also asked if you had any idea that Tanya was friends with Jane?"

I stopped the car and pulled over to the side and banged my hand on the steering wheel a few times and pulled at my hair.

"I didn't know but I had a feeling a couple of times. That's why I was trying to get away from her. She would mention a Jane now and then and would only tell me it was someone who her father used to work for. What have I gotten myself and you into? My god Bella, I am so sorry, what have I done?" I looked down at the floor. She took my face in her hands, concern written all over her face, and spoke softly.

"Edward, please relax, no one is blaming you. Let's go back and talk to everyone, okay?" I nodded and started driving again.

"Thanks, Bella. You're amazing. But, I wouldn't blame you for running away." She looked at me with a smile, taking my hand with hers.

"I'm not going anywhere, Edward. I was serious when I told you I loved you. This weekend was amazing and just what we needed. It made me realize just how hard I was falling for you." I looked over at her quick, giving her a smile and squeezed her hand.

"You make me feel alive again. I started to realize right before you told me you loved me that I loved you. This weekend was just perfect and exactly what we needed."

Bella leaned over and kissed me quick on the cheek then leaned against my arm.

We got back to the apartments and everybody was over at my place.

"Well, look who's back from their secret rendezvous," said Emmett. I jumped right into it.

"Rose, Bella got your text. What the hell is going on?" Rose nodded taking in what I said.

"Yeah, we found out that Tanya's father worked for the Volturi's before he got killed by the Romanovs.  
These are bad people she is involved with." I was silently hoping the entire time we drove home that what Bella read was wrong, but actually hearing the words from Rose, made me feel even worse. I let out a sigh.

"I know. I had my suspicions Tanya was somehow involved with them, since she would mention a Jane here and there. But now, actually hearing who she was involved with, I just feel really bad that I've involved all of you in this." Just then my stomach growled. I figured it was a perfect way to change the subject, "So, who's hungry? Because I'm starving."

"Now you're talking!" yelled Emmett.

We ordered some take out and talked about our weekend. After we ate, the girls decided to have a Harry Potter marathon. Japser and Emmett groaned when they heard this. Me, I didn't care what we did; I just wanted to cuddle with Bella. She was really the only thing keeping me sane right now. After finishing all the Harry Potter movies, it was really late. I heard Bella say my name.

"Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Will...will you stay with me tonight?" I smiled, kissing the top of her head.

"I'd be happy to, my love." She grinned from ear to ear. She took my hand and walked us over to the girls' apartment. We did our collective bedtime routines, and after I was done, I crawled into bed. Bella crawled in next to me not much longer. She curled up with me, laying her head on my chest. I lightly played with her hair. She let out a small moan as I ran my fingers through her hair.

"That feels good baby," she said kissing my chest. I kissed the top of her head, holding her tight to me. Ever since I found out that Tanya was involved with the Volturis', I've been so scared. I tried not to show it, but Bella knew better. She sat up, looking at me.

"Are you OK?" I was about to tell her I was fine, but she laid her hand on my cheek and I leaned into it, placing mine over hers. Everything that happened within the past week seemed to suddenly overwhelm me with one single touch of her hand. I couldn't keep the tears from forming and I didn't want her to see me like this. I sat up and turned my back to her, trying to will the tears away. The minute I felt her arms wrapping around me, I broke down in uncontrollable sobs.

"I love you so much, Bella and I'm so scared for everybody involved right now. Especially you." I turned to her, tears streaming down my face, "If anything ever happened to you, I don't know what I'd do. I'm so mad at myself for even getting involved with Tanya." Bella looked at me with tears in her eyes and brought me close to her, comforting me.

"Shh. It's OK, Edward. You didn't know how she really was or who she hung out with. You can't beat yourself up over this." She pulled away from me, looking into my eyes, "I don't care if you were being chased by the devil himself, I'd still be right here with you. That's what you do when you love somebody. You stand by them." Bella hugged me again and pulled me down onto the bed. As soon as my head hit my pillow, I was out like a light.

3333

The next morning, I woke up with Bella still curled up on my chest. I lay there, wrapping my arms back around her protectively. I kissed the top of her head and squeezed her whispering into her hair.

"I won't let anything happen to you." I felt Bella stir in my arms.

"Hey handsome." I smiled, kissing the top of her head.

"Hey beautiful."

"I was thinking that we should go out to breakfast this morning. What do you think?"

"That sounds like a great idea baby. Shall I ask the others if they want to join us?" Bella smiled.

"Yes. I think we should all go." I kissed her gently on the lips.

"Then I'll get around and go next door and ask them." I kissed her one last time, "I love you."

"And I love you back." I left the bed and jumped into the shower. As I was getting around, I was suddenly hit with this odd feeling. Almost like something wasn't quite right. I finished getting dressed and came out of the bathroom.

"Bella?" I called out. No answer. I started to get that really bad feeling in the bit of my stomach so I walked out into the living room, "Bell...Oh my God!"

****Enter evil laugh here****


	16. Chapter 16

EPOV

I slowly inched around the doorway of the living room. I could see Tanya with a knife pointed straight at Bella… but I also knew that if I entered in Tanya would attack… that psychotic bitch.

"…Let me go." I heard Bella scream at Tanya. I could see Bella's face clearly and instead of being scared, she just looked pissed.

Tanya sneered, "You stole him from me, Edward is mine, and you're just his stupid little mistress that he's just using."

Bella's laugh rung through the room, "Just put the gun down Tanya"

I knew it was getting a little rocky now, Tanya wasn't to be trusted for long, I quickly text Charlie.

_**HELP, TANYA IS HERE.**_

I also tipped over to the kitchen where I picked up a regular knife, I didn't have a gun like Tanya, but going in there unarmed would be stupid.

It all happened in a flash, I heard a bang and then two gunshots. My heart raced as I ran towards the living room. There lying on the floor was Tanya, her leg oozing blood out and her hand clutching the gun she brought in, she had tears coming out of her eyes.

"I will get you" We heard her low mumble before she fainted. Bella was curled into a ball next to my couch, I scurried over to where she was lying, her sobs were quiet and swallowed by the furious sounds of the police and aids- a crowd that had gathered themselves in the last 5 minutes. Her tears stained my shirt, but that was the least of my worries.

"I love you so much" I whispered into Bella's ears as I clutched on to her, needing to feel her here in my arms.

"I love you too"

The hours passed by slowly, a bunch of detectives came to talk to both Bella and I, and Tanya was sent to a hospital to have her leg treated and the paper work for her being sent to a mental asylum was already on it's way. Rose, Emmett, Alice and Jasper were all hanging out in Bella's apartment while we dealt with the mess here.

At 3 in the morning I was ready to curl into bed with Bella- who was already asleep, and thankfully I could, all the people were gone and the house was cleaned up.

My eyes slowly shot open and I quickly glanced around. Bella wasn't next to me. Panic shot through my body.

"BELLA" I screamed as I shot out of bed, I ran to the kitchen and there she was- looking completely alarmed.

"Edward what's wrong?"

"I just woke up, and you weren't there and I…" Bella shushed me and we wrapped ourselves together again.

"How about we take a personal day off of work today and then just go to the Clazer Gardens with the gang" I offered.

"Edward we can't run away from our problems, we need to go to the station and give our testimony, we also need to talk to Charlie about what we need to do- Edward even with some of the top security in your apartment, Tanya has managed to break in- multiple times."

"What can we even do? Add more cameras, get better locks? There's no need, Tanya's gone…" 

"That doesn't change anything- Edward we don't know who Tanya was involved with- hell she could have planned this out and there might still be someone left"

"I don't know why you're stretching this- I just want to put the past behind us and move on, okay lets install a new security system- but then what, the only thing we really can do is move out!"

I froze- I wasn't gonna tell her that yet, I wanted us to move out and buy a condo or something in the city, maybe even start our own life together… yeah I was gonna tell her soon but not like this- not when we were both scared out of our minds and fighting.

"What?"

"Look I've been thinking about this for a while, I know it's early, but I wanted us to find our own small little apartment- a place that's our own. I mean this is great, but it's not like we'll have our friends forever, and honestly I'm just thinking about our future. I completely understand if you don't want to, it's super soon and I know you wanted to wait…"

Bella flung herself into my arms and kissed me.

"I would LOVE that, especially because there's so much ugly past in this apartment, so many bad memories. There are good ones too…"

"But there's always a change to make new memories somewhere else!"

"EDWARD! BELLA!" I heard the piercing screech of Alice voice.

"Oh my gosh, I am so glad you're okay, I was so worried, I mean I saw you guys last night but everything was a blur and the police were everywhere and there was blood and…"

"Take a breath Ali- we're both fine, I was a little shaken up yesterday but there's nothing to be worried about now."

Rose went over and hugged Bella- the both whispered something and hugged again. Even though Alice was very verbal about all her feelings, there was a bond between Rose and Bella that tied them together, it seemed that they knew each other on a much deeper level.

"Well you have to tell us EVERYTHING." Alice screamed again.

"Okay Alice, Bella will, but you need to keep it down, I didn't get a lot of sleep and it was a long night…"

"I'm sorry Edward"

"Okay so Edward was taking a shower in his room and I decided to hang around in the living room, I had a movie picked out and I was about to make popcorn when I saw Tanya. She was just casually sitting in the chair by the doorway- twirling a gun around her finger. She looked so freaking confident, I hated it. But then she pointed the gun towards me and got up.

Tanya went on and on about how Edward was hers, I came in between them, she was going to get rid of me and take him back and finally how I didn't stand a change. By that time, Edward was already out, thankfully he didn't make himself known to Tanya because or else hell would've broken loose but then Charlie barged through the door and told her to surrender, when she didn't, Officer Mark shot her leg and then they took her to the hospital. After that a bunch of detectives were just snooping around the house, looking for god knows what. And that's about it."

Alice and Rose were quiet.

"What now?" Rose asked in a small voice. I looked at Bella, and she nodded.

"Well we were thinking of moving out, maybe towards that city- and starting fresh. These two apartments hold a lot of memories… sure some of them are good, but there are enough bad ones to make a person go crazy." I said slowly, yet point fully.

"I guess that makes sense, we all should probably find our own little places, I don't want to stay here either" Alice said softly.

"BELLA BEAR" Emmett swung himself at Bella, we repeated the same story to Emmett and Jasper.

We spent the rest of the day watching movies, and eating popcorn and candy. It was a nice way to relax after the long day that we'd been through, of course this didn't mean that all our problems were solved.

_**AN: Hey everyone, this is Booyahitsriya! I had so much fun in this chapter, it's short, but even with a few chapters left, there's a lot to lead up to! Hope you liked the chapter and please make sure to check out my page as well as REVIEW!**_

_**We all would love to hear what you think!**_


	17. The Assignment

**Chapter 17. The Assignment**

**A/N:**

**Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by edwardsisobel. If you would like to join this story please PM us for more details.**

**BPOV**

I looked blearily at my computer screen and read the last paragraph over again, checked for grammatical errors, and did a 'find and replace' to change the names of all the characters to protect the innocent or whatever they said on those real-life shows about actual crimes. I chuckled to myself about my colorful imagination, and hoped that the writing assignment in the thriller genre I had just finished would get a good grade.

I had a boring desk job in a bank at the moment so I had decided to take a night course in writing at the adult education center down the road. I just had to submit it on-line today and then we would be getting our marks for the assignment on Friday night in class. I hoped the new teacher would like it. I didn't like meeting new people and it sucked that the teacher I'd gotten used to, had taken maternity leave for a few months. Oh well, I thought as I hit the send button, too late now if they don't like it.

I've always had a good imagination, which was a good thing growing up with a flighty mother who moved towns as regular as clockwork. She'd get fired from a job or dumped by a boyfriend and we would be off again. It meant I rarely had any friends growing up; I'd make a friend in a new town and then before we knew it we had packed up and gone. After a while it seemed pointless to even try. I made up friends instead and wrote about our adventures in exercise books which I kept tied up in a red ribbon in a wooden box I lugged from house to apartment. Sometimes I would write fairy tales and then when I got a bit older romances. In darker times, it would be a horror story where everyone was hacked into tiny pieces except me and some cute guy who, of course, was madly in love with me.

When my mom finally met someone who was willing to put up with all her idiosyncrasies and marry her, I decided it was about time to go and bond with my dad. We'd kept in touch through letters and phone calls but I'd not been to visit him for a long time. I knew it would be awkward, but not as awkward as facing my new step-father, Phil, over the breakfast table every morning after he and mom had spent the night bonking each other senseless in the room next to mine. The walls in that tiny apartment were wafer thin, and I hadn't really needed to know that Phil was coming, but he'd shout it out loud just before he did…every time. TMI!

Living with my dad was the complete opposite from living with my mom. Well, the obvious difference being that Charlie had always lived in the same house, and had no intention of moving…ever. I was so used to being the loner at new schools and not attempting to get to know people that it took me a while to make any new friends there too. I was told afterwards that I was like a little hedgehog: all prickly on the outside and it took time to learn how to pick me up without getting pricked by one of my spines. Luckily, Rose and Alice persevered at school and eventually I let them in.

Old habits die hard though and I found it difficult to let anyone else in. At College, I pretty much went to class, came home and on the odd occasion went on a date. Nobody seemed to want to take the time to draw me out and get to know me. I had a lot of first dates, but rarely second or third ones, unlike Alice and Rose who had until recently been in long term relationships with their college sweethearts, James and Royce respectively. Hence the excitement over the arrival of our new neighbors across the hall over the weekend.

Rose and Alice had been thrilled , until they remembered that they were both due to depart on a business trip out of town for a week late Sunday afternoon, and weren't due back till the following weekend. I laughed remembering the antics those two had gotten up to trying to 'run into' the new boys across the hall before they left. When I'd arrived home from dinner with Charlie on Saturday night and told the girls that I'd met Edward and then the other boys on my way out to dinner, I was grilled to within an inch of my life for details—what was the blond one called and was he nice, from Alice; and was the dark-haired buff boy as well hung as she hoped, from Rose.

I gave them as much information as I had gleaned in the few minutes I'd actually been in the boy's company—yes the blond seemed very nice and was called Jasper, and given the bulge in the front of Emmett's running shorts then yes I thought Rose would be very, very happy to date him. For the next twenty-four hours, the girls made it their mission to meet them but without success. The bin got emptied three times by Rose, the mail box was checked as many times by Alice and both decided to go for a jog, in their barely-there shorts and tight t-shirts.

There had been no sign of the boys all day, but as the girls entered the taxi for the airport, a gleaming black truck drove past and into the basement car park with our three neighbors in it. The boys all waved politely as they were waiting for the security gate to open and as I waved back shyly, I noticed what looked like a bunch of pot plants and a box full of cleaning products in the back—they'd obviously been doing a final clean of where they had been living before.

The girls were almost late for the plane as they spent way too much time giving me a list of instructions on what to do to get to meet our new neighbors, ranging from tripping outside their door to cornering Edward in the laundry room downstairs. As a result, by the time I trudged up the stairs to my floor, the door was just shutting on the boy's apartment and I had missed them. For the first two days I became the ultimate stalker. I spent more time peeking out the peep-hole of my door every time I heard a noise, than anything else. I found out way more than I should have about all our neighbors. I justified my inaction to actually open the door and talk to the guys, as trying to glean enough information to have a real conversation with them first, not just stand there in an articulate mess.

I'd been struggling to write my thriller assignment up until that point. I'd had a partial outline written about a story based in the bank where I worked and another partial one about a psycho baseball player killer, but I'd not been able to get into the meat of either story. After two days of peeking through my door, the idea for my story took shape from the characters right here in my building.

Of course I had chosen the gorgeous Edward as my hero of the story. That day I had bumped into him on the stairs and helped him with his boxes, something had stirred within me. I hadn't been able to get him out of my mind and like all the stories of my childhood, the handsome hero fell in love with the character I couldn't seem to help but base on me—or at least the me I'd like to be.

The girl, Tanya, that had shown up on his doorstep a few days after they moved in, had been stunningly beautiful, and I'd almost felt sorry for her when he quietly, but firmly, let her know that he wasn't going to change his mind about breaking things off with her. She had immediately turned into a shrew and screeched at him that she was glad that she'd cheated on him because he was a worthless and boring piece of shit. She'd stomped off down the stairs and I heard her yell something about how crap he was in bed, when he actually got off his laptop to get there. Edward had shaken his head, briefly looked in the direction of our door and then turned back to his own, quietly shutting the door.

When Edward had looked to my door, I had the sneaking suspicion he knew someone was there and I had jumped back instinctively. Thank goodness I was wearing socks in the cold weather because I hadn't made a noise. How embarrassing if he'd thought I'd been spying on him. I hadn't seen the girl again but another stunning woman, this time a pregnant brunette, hammered on the door early the next morning. Oh my God, I'd wondered, how many girls had this Edward got on his string. Edward had opened the door and given the girl a hug before calling out to Emmett that his sister had arrived. I breathed a sigh of relief. I know I had no claim on this guy, but I was starting to think I might actually want to try crawling out of my shell to get to know him.

I had no sooner sat down at my desk when I heard more footsteps. This time I made it to the door to see a petite blonde knocking on the door. I knew her though, she was Jane Volturri and she scared the living daylights out of me. She lived a few doors down from us and was a bit strange. I'd met her a few times down at the mailbox and each time she would stare deeply into my eyes as if she was trying to read my mind, cast a spell or smite me to the ground. I had written a bunch of little stories about her in my exercise books ranging from her being a witch to a trained assassin. I actually think I wasn't far off the last one, she was always getting deliveries of electrical equipment and so forth judging from the brief glance into her living room as I'd passed her open door one day.

She'd just introduced herself to the newcomers, and was giving them a card telling them to call her when they didn't have company so that she could welcome them properly to the building. Edward had stayed at the door watching her walk down the hall and the look on his face was comical. He looked a little scared. I giggled and he turned suddenly and looked straight at me, well at the peephole, anyway. I stopped breathing and didn't dare move. He shook his head then and went back inside. I chastised myself from my place leaning on the door, my heart racing. I really had to stop this peeping Bella business before it got me into trouble.

Much as I'd given Rose and Alice a hard time for hoping to run into the boys last weekend, I pretty much hoped for the same thing for myself. I was way too shy to just march over to their door and invite myself in, but that didn't stop me from hoping that I would run into Edward again. I'd dawdled locking the apartment door each morning on my way to work; I'd stayed in the laundry room to wait for my washing, reading a book for a change instead of dashing back after an hour; I'd checked my mail and religiously emptied the bin even if there was only one or two items in it. But nada, I'd not run into any of the boys for a whole four days. Emmett and Jasper seemed to leave in the early morning, well before I was ready to leave the apartment, and Edward rarely seemed to.

My laundry room stopovers did mean that I got to know one of our neighbors on the next floor down from us, Nessie Black, a lot better. She was almost as shy as I was and we ended up clicking when she asked me about the book I was reading. I had just finished reading a vampire series that she loved and we had spent a lovely evening discussing which of the BDB brothers was our favorite vampire. Mine was Zsadist, because who doesn't love a broken vampire to fix; and hers was Vishous, because apparently he reminded her of her husband, Jake…hmmm.

With all my characters complete and the final copy finished, I did feel a little guilty for using all these people I knew in my story, albeit changing their names before sending it off. I panicked briefly about any one of them reading it and recognizing themselves but then laughed aloud at the idea. It was an assignment for night school, and the only person to read it would be my new teacher, and possibly Alice and Rose if I got drunk enough to show them one night. They had been behind me enrolling in night school for the writing class in the first place; telling me that I should put my scribbling to good use for a change and try to make a career out of it, rather than hating my desk job at the bank.

Finally it was Friday and I'd had a good day all round. I had actually run into Edward again this morning on the way out to work. He'd been walking back up the stairs with the paper and a cup of coffee and he'd looked like he just woken up, with his bed hair and bleary eyes. He'd actually apologized for not popping over to say hello during the week, but that he had a deadline to meet and had been working all hours to get it done before he took on a new job. I had summoned up some courage from somewhere and invited him over for coffee the next morning, and he'd smiled as he'd accepted and told me he was looking forward to it. I remember nodding nervously and then darting out the door to make my bus.

I had been in a state of nervous anticipation for the entire day. I ducked out in my lunch break and picked up some ingredients to make something to have with the coffee, a coffee cake and cupcakes, just in case Edward thought the invitation included Jasper and Emmett as well. I hope he came alone, I don't think I'd know what to say or do with three good-looking guys in the same room for any length of time. Rose and Alice weren't due back in town until the afternoon, so I'd be going it alone in the morning.

I would normally be worrying about the new teacher for my class and how my story had fared but the excitement over getting to know Edward was eclipsing my nerves. I left the office and boarded the bus to the school, getting there in plenty of time to get a seat in the middle of the room—not up at the front to be noticed straight away, and not in the back because Aro would try to hit on me yet again if I did. While we were waiting, I texted Alice about the morning coffee date with Edward, and asked her advice on what I should wear. I wanted to look nice but not like I went to any special trouble and coming across as desperate.

I overheard some chatter about the new guy and listened with half an ear while I waited for Alice's reply. Apparently this new teacher was a published author who was a good friend of our previous teacher, Esme Cullen, and had agreed to step in for six months while Esme was on maternity leave. Shit! A published author was going to grade our story submissions? Whatever confidence I had about how good the story was dissipated with that news. I wondered if I'd read any of his work, but I'd missed his name while listening to Alice's voice message. I'm surprised that the whole class hadn't heard the message with Alice squealing into my ear with excitement. She'd ended the message with a plea to secure an acceptance for all three guys for dinner so that she and Rose could meet Jasper and Emmett; I texted her back that I would do my best.

The door opened and every eye, including mine, turned to the side to check out the guy walking through the door. I wasn't the only girl who gasped on seeing the man walk in, but I suspect that theirs was due to the fact that this guy was fucking hot in his black denim jeans and a charcoal grey button-down shirt. Mine, on the other hand, was because the man who walked in was none other than my new neighbor, Edward.

My hopes that Edward had enrolled to take the course were dashed when he walked straight to the front of the room and placed his satchel on the teacher's desk. I slunk deeper into the seat and wished for a giant hole to appear and swallow me up.

Edward had read my story, with its thinly disguised name changes and exaggerated plots incorporating his ex-girlfriend as a psychotic stalker who filmed him naked in the shower and watched him sleep via mini camera's; his neighbor as the daughter of a Russian mafia family and the couple on the floor below as bungling FBI agents. And let's not forget the sections devoted to the heroine, who looked a lot like me, having glorious sex with the well-hung and very attractive hero, who could not be mistaken for anyone other than the man standing at the front of the class.

And then it got worse. Because my neighbor, Edward, was none other than Edward Masen, the up and coming crime writer who was just about to publish his third thriller, and my favorite author of the moment. I would have to move… tonight. I needed to leave the class immediately before he saw me. Would anyone notice if I slid to the floor and crawled out behind the seats?

Too late! He looked around the class and his eyes met mine…he visibly started and then he smiled at me.

I gave him a weak smile in return.

I sat there stunned as he introduced himself to the class and then went on to say that he'd very much enjoyed the stories that had been submitted. He'd made some notes on them during the day when he'd read them and was available after the class for discussion and feedback. Nuh uh, not a chance in the world. I would get my paper, slink out of the class, move back to Charlies tonight and forget this gorgeous guy ever existed. It was hardly likely I would be seeing him for coffee tomorrow anyway, not now that he'd been used and abused for the sake of my assignment and he'd read every word.

At the end of the night, Edward started calling out the name on the top of each paper and when each student went to collect theirs, he would quietly make a comment about each story before they walked out of the door. I was not quite the last person called to go up to the front, and when I leaned forward to collect the paper, Edward said to me, "I very much enjoyed your story, Miss Swan, especially how you incorporated the budding romance of the two main characters within the thriller. Most interesting."

My face flamed at his words and to compound matters, he winked at me and then murmured quietly, so that only I would hear him, "As I said this morning, Bella, I'm very much looking forward to our coffee tomorrow. Is ten am okay with you?"

**End Note:**

**I had so much fun writing for this round robin, and hope that you enjoyed my little contribution to the story. **

**If you would like to read some more of my scribbling you can find me at http : / www . fanfiction . net /u/ 2143126/edwardsisobel I write a few drabbles, some smut and fluff.**

**A few thank yous – Big hugs and smooches to the lovely daniamcullen for beta'ing this chapter for me, she rocks! And of course thank you to Mandyleigh87 and I'mheretoreview for organizing this story. It is a major feat getting so many writers organized and they have done an awesome job.**

**Suz xx**


	18. Curses!

Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by AgoodWITCH.

A/N: Okay my personal note will be at the end, but I needed to explain a few things about the unorthodox POV. When there is a :  
single * surrounding text - it is the action of the cursor  
_italics _ – are the cursors inner thoughts, his dialogue  
anything typed by a person will be prefaced with who typed it and where they wrote it (ie email, facebook, or in a word doc)  
**Bold **– denotes passage of time

**Cursor POV**

*Blink*

*Blink*

*Blink*

_He typed into the open document: _Her eyes met mine as she looked up to see me staring at her, an innocent blush staining her cheeks.

*Ctrl + A*

*delete*

_This is how it has been for weeks. Obsessive, neurotic, anal-retentive. I'm so done. I've gotten together with the mouse and after he's asleep, we will unleash the nice Trojan virus found online to infect the hard drive and give us a break while Geek Squad tries to de-skeeve us. The looks of condemnation glared at well-known author, Edward Masen, once it's known he watches free internet porn because he doesn't have the balls to knock on the door across the hall until the class she's in is done for the semester, may just jump start him into action. Because I've been driven insane by the indecision. I'm not accustomed to sitting still. I used to fly across the screen as he wrote his next best-selling novel, but the case of writer's block that petite__,__ young woman with the chocolate brown doe eyes and cinnamon hair that frames her heart-shaped face has given him is enough to make me commit whatever –iside this could be classified as. _

_As you can see, he has managed to type something. I know about his longing, the brief moments shared over coffee while he "critiques" her writing assignments. I've seen them and she's not bad._

_The emails that use the 'write what you know' excuse to gleam information about her life. _

_The checking of facebook and twitter, he's almost reverted back to high school, minus the premature ejaculation … at least, I hope that hasn't made a comeback._

_Haha! I made a funny!_

_Enough of that, the screen has been closed for the night. It is time for Operation: Vacation._

**Eight Days Later**

_Holy Boredom, Batman! Eddie made his move._

_It would appear that my vacation time had left Edward with little to do, so he knocked on the heroine of our little tale's door. He bemoaned my illness and she comforted him, between blushes and downcast looks, that is._

_It was at this point that the fearsome foursome met up in the hallway and planned a movie night at the girls' place. Bella hadn't been keen on the idea so our boy went and asked her if she wanted to order take-out and hang out at his apartment. Grateful to not be a witness to what her and lover boy weren't, she agreed._

_That was Tuesday. Wednesday was another dinner, this time at Bella's. Apparently, she was a phenomenal cook. Thursday was a movie date, a study in whether the movie would be as good as the book it was based on. Which it wasn't, if you were wondering. Then Friday happened._

_According to a drunken email to Emmett, Bella and Edward went to drinks after class and he finally threw the 'I don't want to date my student' excuse out the window when she admitted that her thriller's hero was based on him. How Sherlock hadn't figured it out was beyond me. Maybe it was denial, but either way, her drunken admission that she'd been thinking about him since they'd literally run into each other in the stairwell was enough for him._

_To quote the email:_ Essmee cums back aftr this session iz over. So wat if they fier me! Im gonna gets me some Bellla.

_It wasn't one of his finer moments, people._

_But, it gave me a lot to catch up on when I finally regained consciousness this morning. Thank God he kept his browsers open so I could find out about this from all the emails he was re-reading and the status updates on his various profiles. Next Friday's class was cancelled so that everyone could focus on their final assignment and then the following week Edward would lead a discussion on different ways to publish work. Their final assignments would be mailed back to them along with their grades. Then he would be free to bang his Swan like a screen door in a hurricane._

_At least he better, because after all the UST and will they/wont they shit, he needs to get laid._

_The weekend passed with some internet research that didn't lead to much writing, so I won't bore you with his Google history, but instead, I'll skip to the good stuff._

**Sunday Night  
**_G-chat:_

eMasen1918 – Bella, are you on?  
BMswan913 – Yeah, trying to finish my story, but it isn't going so well.  
eMasen1918 – What genre did you decide on?  
BMswan913 – Romance.  
eMasen1918 – Afraid I can't help you with the writing, but if you come across the hall I may be able to inspire you.  
BMswan913 – No, come on, you promised that we wouldn't go there until after you had submitted my grade.  
eMasen1918 – Bella, we've gone on dates, I don't really see what it matters.  
BMswan913 – It matters to me.  
eMasen1918 – I'm sorry, I shouldn't be pushing you like this. It's not gentlemanly of me at all. I promise not to push the issue anymore.  
BMswan913 – I'm sorry too. I know it must not be fun for you to have to deal with all my hang-ups. Mousy, shy student, who somehow manages to interest the amazing Edward Masen, then holds him at arm's length until he wises up, and realizes she isn't worth the effort.  
eMasen1918 – Don't say that. You're being smart while I'm thinking with my other head. And as for the 'amazing' part, I think you reversed it there. Not a single thing about you could be described as mousy, especially not your hair. You're well worth the wait. In fact, I have a little surprise planned for you for the weekend following my grading deadline.  
BMswan913 – You don't have to plan anything extravagant on my account.  
eMasen1918 – On the contrary, I have to plan something that will give us plenty of time to get to know each other better, and more importantly, will keep my roommates or yours from interrupting our first official weekend of coupledom.  
BMswan913 – Fine, but only because you insist. It seems that chatting with you has done a little something to revive my muse, I'm going to get back to work.  
eMasen1918 – Glad I could help. I'll talk to you soon, Bella.  
BMswan913 – Goodnight, Edward.

_Then the fun began. Instead of insipid research on the book he wasn't working on, Mr. Smooth reopened her thriller assignment and found the names of the resorts she'd researched and put into the romantic getaway chapter._

_Unfortunately, the Birches and the Wiltshire Winery were in Wisconsin, and we weren't going to be crossing state lines on this trip, so Eddie boy had to look into ideas like it that were a little more local. A quick Google search found him calling The Wild Iris and booking one of their Deluxe King Rooms for three weekends from now._

_This place was really top notch. There was a ton to do in the nearby town, but there was also a fireplace and an in-room jetted spa tub for two. It was like a romance novel readers wet dream and he was going to give it to her, in more ways than one, as soon as they were able to._

_Bella seemed to go into Luddite Mode for the next week, which made Edward a very grumpy person. I really felt bad for his computer keys; they bore the brunt of his frustration. There were a few emails back and forth, but nothing too exciting. _

_Bella saying no to dinner._

_Bella turning him down for coffee._

_Then the emails stopped altogether._

_That was when the return of Drunkward happened and a not too nice email finally got a response._

_Email from BMswan913:_

Dear Mr. Masen,

I have to say I was a little shocked by the email I received from you last night. I can only hope that the atrocious spelling and foul language were because you drown in a bathtub filled with scotch, and those weren't your true feelings. Either way, I'm still offended.

But I've decided to indulge your curiosity and answer your questions.

First, no, I'm not an Ice Queen. I just wanted to be able to have a relationship without the fact that you were my teacher hanging over us. I've never had much luck with boyfriends or dating because I'm so shy, but I'm not exactly frigid.

Secondly, the reason I haven't been emailing or chatting with you is because I've been focusing on my story. I was hoping to get it to you as soon as possible, so you could grade it. That way when our final class was over we wouldn't have anything holding us back. Me not communicating that to you is my mistake, but I don't think it deserved your anger.

Finally, the guy you saw coming out of my apartment and giving me a hug, was my cousin. He came home to visit and made the drive out to see me for the day, so I wasn't avoiding you because I'd moved on. Though if you think so little of me, I may find myself single again. But there's little I can do about that now.

Still Your Student,

Isabella Swan

_I was impressed by the fire in her, but it seemed to inspire a different emotion in Eddie Boy when he replied to her email._

Dear Bella,

I'm a fool, who shouldn't be allowed within a mile of any electronic device once I've had more than two drinks, at least where you're concerned. I've reread the email and I'm appalled at what I said to you. I would completely understand if you cut off all contact and moved out of state so you would never have to deal with my incompetence again. I don't feel the way my email made me sound, save the jealousy, but I shouldn't have accused you of anything.

I just miss you.

I miss your wit, and your humor, and that delightful blush whenever you're a little too forward or I compliment you too much. I now fear that I've fucked it up before we can begin.

Please say there's a chance that we'll be able to get back to what we had before I was left alone in my misery last night.

Yours,

Edward

_Her response to that email was quick._

Edward,

Don't think you're completely forgiven, but send me the information on your little "getaway" because I hate surprises. We can talk more when I finish my story, which I hope will be tomorrow. Talk to you soon.

Bella

_Edward, being the smart boy that he is, sent the information to her right away and decided to grade the first few stories that had come in. He would have eighteen in all to take care of, and he knew there would be some that would wait until the last possible moment. He had graded six of them, sending in the official grade and including the grading sheet with the draft of their stories so he could have the secretary at the continuing education office mail them out. _

_When his email pinged the next time, he had another four stories, the first being Bella's. He was obviously torn between reading hers first and saving it for last. I got whiplash from his clicking between the documents._

_Finally, he stayed put for long enough to read her piece. _

_Once again, I was impressed. Her tale of love and lust in the modern world was fun and thankfully not too chick-flickish. Her female protagonist was battling between a job she hated, working in a hardware store, a kooky family, and a sad social calendar. When she literally fell into the arms of a local handyman, all began to change in her favor._

_I honestly didn't think she had it in her … I mean she came up with great lines like:_

"Can you help me find my nuts?"

"This hardwood is bent."

"Where can I find a pack of nipples?"

_And my personal favorite: _"Has anyone seen the box of cocks?"

_If any of you got lost there, for people who know hardware, it's fucking hilarious._

_I didn't actually get to see any of his comments, as they're all handwritten on a printed copy, but I'm hoping he made a few notes of moments to revist … like page 26. That was hot for something that isn't erotica._

_The next few days it was Edward's turn to be busy, grading the remaining stories, which were a bunch of turkeys, if you asked me, and then it was time for him to come up with his final lecture. This was meticulously planned, discussing the pitfalls of self-publishing and finding the right agent or publisher for you. Knowing where you'd be most likely have the type of career you wanted._

_It was a great little lead-in to the discussion that would take up their last class, but Edward's attention was split between that and the trip they would leave for in the morning. I was evidently not invited. _

_After his colorful showing last weekend Eddie was going all out and I wasn't sure that Bella would appreciate all of the grand romantic gestures, but hey, what do I know?_

_He printed the last of his materials, including the stories he would have to grade next week and left me to wait._

_And wait._

_Somewhere in the middle of Edward's class, Emmett decided to be cute and set up the webcam so that it would record and display the image in a small window so Edward might not notice it until later. I however, saw plenty. I don't know what Rose sees in him, he's too burly and hairy for someone as manicured as she is. Her facebook page has a bunch of pictures of men much smaller than him, but hey to each their own. _

_I sat on the desk getting a perfect view of absolutely nothing of interest until Edward came home around eleven. Their class had been over for a while, but from what I could tell, Edward and Bella had gone somewhere to spend some much needed time together._

_The two of them collapsed on the bed and I realized exactly what Emmett had been doing. He set it up so that Edward would have a recording of his and Bella's first time, if he edited out the first six hours of dead air._

_There was some definite heavy petting going on, but then the freedom of no roommates got the best of them and as clothes were shed they moved closer … a lot closer until all I was getting was a shot of Bella's wrist and a LOT of audio._

_Damn she's vocal._

_I was getting a pretty good radio show until Bella's hand vanished from view and the lid came down. No. NOOOO! _

_Fuck, I'm going into sleep mode!_

_This isn't how this was supposed to go down. Abort!_

**Monday**

_I'm still annoyed at the premature end of my peepshow, and the fact that the piece I got was deleted off the hard drive as soon as Edward booted me up. But there's one good thing to come of all this._

_The writer's block is over!_

_It seems that a good deep dick is beneficial to more than just the woman on the receiving end … because the words have been pouring out of my boy since he got home from his trip. Obviously those procrastinating students would have to wait for him to get some of his past due writing out of the way before he got to looking at their pieces, but I'm sure he'll get to them. Eventually._

_The weekend was a huge success according to facebook and twitter, complete with cutsie messages and replies that made me almost long for the days when he stared at a blank screen for hours. The multi-tasking was beginning to give me a migraine._

_Oh great, Bella sent him a message in g-chat._

BMswan913 – Are you busy?  
eMasen1918 – Never too busy for you, sexy.  
BMswan913 – Silly man. I wanted to know if you were up for Italian tonight for dinner.  
eMasen1918 – Only if we can have a "Lady and the Tramp" moment.  
BMswan913 – Did you just reference a Disney movie? Emmett might take your man card.  
eMasen1918 – After his little prank on Friday he may not be around to make that call. Rose seemed pretty pissed last night.  
BMswan913 – She won't kill him, she'll just withhold sex.  
eMasen1918 – Remind me never to upset you.  
BMswan913 – Filthy mind.  
eMasen1918 – Beautiful girlfriend.  
BMswan913 – Girlfriend? Really?  
eMasen1918 – Yes, really. I'm not one for bed hopping, and you're a keeper.  
BMswan913 – You're not bad yourself. Thank you for our trip, it was a nice getaway.  
eMasen1918 – I'm glad you liked it. I was nervous it would be too much.  
BMswan913 – For someone who wrote a romance, nope.  
eMasen1918 – True, I really did enjoy your story.  
BMswan913 – That means a lot coming from you.  
eMasen1918 – Hush, sweetheart, you'll give me a big head.  
BMswan913 – Can't have that happen while I'm still at work.  
eMasen1918 – Dirty bird.  
BMswan913 – You love it. *wink*  
eMasen1918 – I do. It's nice to see you being playful when I know how shy you were at first.  
BMswan913 – You bring out the best in me. I have to get back to work, but I will see you tonight.  
eMasen1918 – Sounds good, B. Italian at your place.

_They really were sickeningly sweet now, but it beats the alternative. _

_The afternoon passed in an interesting blur of words, but if I'm completely honest, I wasn't paying attention. I was keeping an eye on the program I had running in the background to see if the "deleted" sex tape could make a comeback._

_That was almost some redtube material._

_I was blissfully ignoring him until his browser came to the front of the screen and I caught a glimpse of his search topic and the pages that followed. This development had me a little confused._

_Maybe I'm old fashioned, but shouldn't you wait at least a month between calling someone a frigid, withdrawn hussy, and looking for engagement rings?_

_I'm hoping that is just for research purposes, because I'm not sure I'd like to be a fly on the wall for that moment, not yet at least._

**A/N: Thanks for sticking with this unique POV. Love to my beta, Mizzdee, for taking on this baby. I have a few stories that are finishing up and a bunch of new ones that are going to be starting in the new year, with first chapters being featured in a couple of charities. Check out my profile for more info and put me on alert to see what's coming next from AgoodWITCH. Have a week!**


	19. Chapter 19

Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by stephk0525.

**Ch. 19 Treasures**

**Edward**

For two weeks I'd been searching and nothing. Not one single piece of jewelry I saw online was what I wanted. But then again, I wasn't too sure that any combination of metal and gem could capture everything that Bella was to me.

It had to be reflective of all the qualities in her that I had fallen madly in love with. She was timeless, elegant and pure. There was an incandescent beauty that radiated from within her. I just didn't see how any stone, no matter how precious, could encapsulate. It had to be perfect.

Screw that, it had been such a short time. The heart just knows. And mine knew with every passing beat that without Bella in my life, it might as well not beat at all.

Fact of the matter was, the romantic in her had turned this "who dunnit" man into a total sap. And I didn't give a shit. Bella was my muse, whether she knew it or not.

Now that classes were finally over and grades had been given, I could focus on this part of my life; the part that she had infiltrated and taken over so completely. I'd never understand how I got so lucky as to have her, but when fate all but bashes you over the head with a candlestick, it's not suspect. Mystery solved.

One thing that was still unanswered, and mostly because it had never been discussed, was how Bella felt about us. How serious were we? In what direction were we headed? Did she see me in terms of forever like I saw her? The over-analytical thinker and over-cautious idiot in me were a little afraid to ask if I were being honest. The answer might do me in like Colonel Mustard with a knife in the study.

But I just couldn't shake the sense that her feelings were every bit as intense as mine were. The way we were when we were together spoke volumes to me. There was passion, excitement, and the most mind-blowing orgasms I'd ever had in my entire life. Just damn.

But it wasn't just about the physical. It was about all the little things that made the difference. We just fit, like all the pieces of evidence that a detective strings together to get his man. I had my girl and I wasn't letting her go.

I'd been out earlier in the day running errands, when the jewelry store caught my eye. It wasn't one of the huge chains that you see commercials for every three seconds during the holidays. This one had an unmistakable aura and the sign was like a beacon that drew me in. C & E Family Jewelry called to me and I couldn't not go in and check it out.

The moment I walked in, I knew I was in exactly the right place. A bell chimed, announcing my arrival and I paused for a moment taking in the quaint shop. It had a very homey feel to it; warm cozy and inviting. A few landscape paintings adorned the walls along with the gemology accreditations and framed certificates. The sign indicating that whoever C and E was specialized in estate jewelry firmly cemented the fact that I was precisely where I needed to be.

The u-shaped cases held an array of jewelry, and I took a deep breath before walking toward them. I reminded myself that I was just looking, but if the right piece was there, I would buy it. There was no pressure and I didn't have to be in any rush.

Starting at one end of the glass, I slowly walked along side it, perusing the contents within. Watches transitioned into bracelets, which gave way to necklaces. I had just made it to the earrings and was admiring a particular teardrop diamond pair when I heard someone approach.

"Hello there, sir. Welcome to C and E."

The older woman's voice was welcoming and her inviting smile immediately put me at ease. She had a kind expression that reminded me of my grandmother when she was younger. I hoped that I found something here; this was the type of person I wanted to give my business to.

"Hi. Thank you very much. This is a lovely store you have here."

"Well thank you. Are you looking for something in particular or just browsing?"

"A ring."

"Oh how wonderful!" she said, clasping her hands, her expression one of excitement. "What's the occasion?"

"I… well, I'm not totally certain. Maybe engagement, but I don't know. We haven't exactly discussed that possible development in our relationship yet."

"I see. Tell me… What's your name dear?"

"Edward."

"Pleasure to meet you, Edward; I'm Carmen." I told her likewise and shook her outstretched hand. "How about I show you a few pieces and we'll go from there? How does that sound?"

"Like an excellent idea." I followed her over to the back part of the case where the rings were obviously located.

"So, tell me Edward, tell me about your young lady. That will help me a lot."

My new friend Carmen listened as I described Bella and all that I loved about her. Her grace, unassuming elegance and the enchanting allure she possessed without effort. Her smile and laughter were the oxygen to my lungs. She was bright and vivacious; I wanted something as luminescent and stunning as she was, if such a thing even existed.

"She sounds absolutely breathtaking, and the ring should be as well." She paused for a moment, tapping her chin. "Does she fancy diamonds? I'm just wondering if that's even the route to take."

"To be quite honest, she doesn't wear much jewelry, so I'm not really sure. I do know that she's not into anything too flashy."

"That narrows things down quite a bit. Let's take a look and see what grabs you." She said, removing the plastic band of keys from around her wrist.

The first piece she pulled out and placed atop the counter was no doubt beautiful. It was a simple round cut diamond on a platinum band. Two smaller sapphires rested on either side, giving the ring a sparkle that was indeed impressive. I picked it up out of the box and examined it more closely, trying to imagine it on her finger.

It was gorgeous, but I just wasn't entirely sure that this was the one.

"I like it, I do. I'm just not sure-" I started, but my thought was finished for me.

"That it's what you want. There's your answer right there. You'll know when you see it," she said, smiling and nodding. "What does this one say to you?"

Carmen, putting the first ring back, swapped it for another box and placed it on the glass in front of me. I gazed at it with the feeling that this one was closer to what I wanted. The grayish pearl stone encircled with small diamonds, was mounted on a platinum band encrusted with diamonds as well.

"It's gorgeous, without question; elegant and classic, which is exactly what I want. I'm just not sure about the pearl though, the color I mean."

"Say no more. I know which one you need to see." A final box was produced and the second I saw it I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt this was what I'd been looking for.

The white pearl stone glowed with such beauty. The band of small diamond that swirled over the top and bottom of the stone encased it with a flowingly delicate look. Its refined opulence was absolutely brilliant without being gaudy or ostentatious. The ring emanated all of the things I held dear in Bella.

"Wow," I breathed, mesmerized by its beauty. I took the ring out of its box; immediately, my mind flashed a picture of it on her finger and I was sold. I had no idea how expensive it was and I didn't care either. Price was irrelevant. "This is it; this is the one."

"Wonderful! You had the look the second you saw it. I was just waiting for verbal confirmation."

At that moment, an older gentleman emerged from the back. He was carrying a ring, scrutinizing the band and talking to himself. I could only assume that he was the E part of the partnership. He looked up and smiled when he arrived at Carmen's side.

"Oh, hello there. The wife taking good care of you?"

"Yes, sir, she is. Knew exactly what I wanted before I did."

"That's my girl," he said, his eyes beaming at her. "I'm Eleazar."

"Nice to meet you," I replied shaking his hand.

"Dear, this is Edward. He's going to buy the piece we got from the Cheney estate last week."

"Oh yes. Beautiful ring. Antique. They don't make them like that anymore. Engagement ring?'

"I think. Possibly. I don't know for sure." I knew I sounded indecisive, but I just couldn't predict how Bella would react. It was possible she'd think I'd gone completely mental proposing after such a short period of time.

"Why the uncertainty?" Eleazar asked.

"To be honest, we haven't been dating very long or talked about taking the next step. I'm not sure what her answer will be."

"Hmmm." He said, musing over my situation. "Well let me give you a little history about this ring. It belonged to a lovely woman and was her wedding ring. She and her husband had been married for almost sixty years. He passed about ten years ago, she just last month. They didn't have any children, which is how we happened upon it."

"That's kind of sad actually," I stated, because how strange to be married for so long and not have kids.

"Perhaps. But according to the executor of the estate, when he saw her get off a train, before he'd even met her, he told a friend that he was going to marry her. Sure enough, he introduced himself and six weeks later they were married. And while they didn't have children of their own, I'm told that they were foster parents. Later on after he retired, they did an extensive amount of traveling."

"Really? Pretty amazing. You don't hear stories like that very often."

"Not often, but they happen. My point is, when you know, you know. Right honey?" he said, wrapping his arm around her side."

"Right."

There was a moment between the two that I almost felt intrusive in watching. The way she rested her head on his shoulder, the grin on her face wide and bright, even in its simplicity, just showed how strong love can be. No matter what the measure of time.

…

…

Everything was set up and in place. Candles. Check. Wine. Check. Her favorite Tai take-out already ordered. Check. A bottle of Crown in case she said no. Check.

All that was needed was for Bella to get here. I'd gone over the game plan a million times in my head. I waffled back and forth about whether or not to even go through with it. I could just put the ring up and wait. Wait until we'd had a chance to talk things over.

But the more my head told me to hold off and collect the data, the more my heart said to just ante up and do it. Put myself out there and take the risk. At least she would know how serious I was about the role I wanted her to play in my life.

If she wasn't ready now, then I would wait until she was. That's how much she meant to me. It might sting true enough, but in the end, it would be worth it.

The doorbell finally rang and I had to control myself from barreling over to answer it. I took a deep breath, and opened the door. But seeing here there, I just couldn't help it.

Pulling her into my apartment, I closed the door behind her and within two seconds flat, I had her pinned between that slat of wood and the growing wood in my pants. Pressing myself into her, I seized her lips, my mouth hungering for hers. Shit, I wanted to strip her down right there and make her come six ways from Sunday up against the door.

The way she moaned against my mouth and hooked her leg around the back of my thigh did nothing for my focus either. Bella was grinding against my cock and I wondered where I was going to find the wherewithal to get to the task at hand. I needed to see my plan through. I was hanging my hopes on some life-altering, just-got-engaged, celebratory sex.

As much as it pained my mouth, and my dick for that matter, I toned things down, separating myself from her slowly. Burying my face in her neck, I breathed in the fresh smell of her perfume. I squeezed her to me, my insides flopping like mad with the thought of what was at stake.

"That was one hell of a greeting, Edward. Not that I'm complaining in the least, but wow." She laughed. I sincerely hoped that it wasn't the last time she said 'wow' tonight.

"Can't help it. I'm just overly excited to see you I guess."

I told her to head on over to the couch and get comfortable. I went into the kitchen and poured us some wine. I briefly considered doing a shot before going back into the living room. In the end, I decided it would be terribly bad form to reek of whiskey while attempting a proposal.

We lounged on the couch, sipping wine and relaxing. I listened to her fill me in on her day; I tried as best I could to pay attention. But somehow the details about the errands she'd run, a plot line that had popped into her head at the grocery store and the myriad of other things couldn't take my mind off the box that was burning a hole in my pocket.

I waited for a pause in her musings, and when one finally presented itself, I grabbed it and ran. I told her how I'd been out shopping earlier that day, obviously leaving out what precisely I'd been shopping for, and met the most amazing couple that happened to be in the jewelry business. Explaining that we just sort of got to talking, I told her that one particular story they shared might pique her interest given her penchant for romance.

Recounting the history of a particular ring that sounded beyond beautiful, I passed the story on of the woman it belonged to. How the man who had given it to her saw her getting off a train and knew immediately he wanted to spend his life with her. That one single extraordinary moment shaped his life for the next sixty years, and it was because he listened to his heart.

"I love hearing stuff like that. It's so rare." Bella sighed. The smile on her face and the softness in her eyes gave me the confidence to move forward.

"Extremely rare. Six weeks after they were married and for the next six decades, never left each other's side."

"And who says romance is dead? Stories like this are just further proof that it's alive and well." She grew quiet for a moment and then asked, "Did they tell you what they did with the ring?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh. I don't know. I'd just be tempted to hold on to something that was symbolic of something so special, that's all."

Moving off the couch and down on my knees in front of her, I took her wine glass and placed it on the coffee table. Holding her hands in mine, I smiled at the puzzled look on her face and bracing myself for the coming expression it would hold after I spoke.

"How about I show you what they did with the ring?"

"Edward, I don't understand."

I pulled the small velvet box from my pocket, pulled the top up and placed it in her open palm. Bella's eyes widened, darting between mine and the box. I could see her breathing quicken as she began to nervously chew on her bottom lip.

"This is it; this is the ring. I wasn't just doing random shopping today, Bella. I was on a quest for the perfect symbol of how I feel about you and the life that I want with you."

"But I…" She began, but I had to finish.

"Shhh, Bella, hear me out. I understand the feeling that the man had when he first saw his wife; it's the exact same thing that I felt when I saw you. I think we should we should take the last several weeks and turn them into the next several decades."

I could see tears well in the corner of her eyes. That alone would have made me feel like I'd blown it completely. But there was a smile there too, and even though it was small, it gave me hope say the words.

"Marry me, Bella."

**A/N: Thanks to ImHereToReview and MandyLeigh87 for putting this round robin together and allowing me to participate - also for being so understanding on switching up the dates. Love to Jenny0719 for wearing the beta hat. I am in her debt for shining this up nice and pretty. If you're so inclined, feel free to check out my profile, stephk0525, and see if my other shenanigans blow your dress up. Gropes all around!**


	20. Some Answers are Worth Waiting For

**Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by StoryPainter. **

* * *

**Chapter 20 **

**Some Answers are Worth Waiting For  
**

For several moments, I could only sit there staring at the ring Edward had just presented to me. He was kneeling in front of me, waiting to hear my response. He wanted to marry me. I just couldn't wrap my mind around that fact. The past few weeks with him had been some of the best of my life. Even our unorthodox beginning couldn't squash the way I felt about the man in front of me. But was I ready to marry him after such a short time knowing each other? That was a decision I didn't know if I was ready to make. I could feel the tears pooling in the corners of my eyes and the smile that was creeping across my face, and the two opposing expressions of emotions definitely mirrored the way they were currently battling within my heart and mind. Edward hadn't even told me he loved me, yet there he was proposing. And I found myself wanting to say yes more than I had ever wanted anything else before in my life. I guessed that gave me the answer. Focusing on his hopeful expression, I breathed in, readying myself to just say the one word I knew he wanted to hear.

Before I could get it out, however, he started back peddle. I'd waited too long and he seemed to doubt his actions. I couldn't have that. I needed him to know how desperately I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with him.

"Yes!" I practically shouted out as he began to talk about waiting, not giving up on me, and knowing we belonged together.

"What?" he sputtered, obviously surprised by my outburst.

"Yes, yes, a freaking thousand times yes! I will marry you, Edward," I stated assuredly.

"Really?" he asked as if he couldn't believe what I was telling him. The look of utter shock on his face was simply priceless. I couldn't believe such a hunk of a man wanted to marry me, plain, ordinary me.

"Yes, Edward. Of course, yes. I'm sorry I hesitated, but you just shocked the hell out of me with this. I mean, I wasn't exactly expecting a marriage proposal. You haven't even told me you loved me, so I certainly wasn't expecting you to ask me to be your wife." I would have continued but Edward silenced me by covering my lips with his.

As quickly as it had begun, the kiss was ending. I felt Edward pulling away even as I tried to keep him there. His look of uncertainty calmed my libido enough for me to realize that Edward was suddenly very unsure of himself.

"Are you sure? I don't think I could bear it if I found out you didn't mean it and were just agreeing in order to make me happy when you weren't really sure about actually marrying me," he stated while his eyes pled for my understanding.

"Oh, Edward, I would never do that. I'm honestly a little upset that you could even think me capable of doing that," I responded honestly, battling the tears that were once again gathering in my eyes. I couldn't help thinking maybe we should take the opportunity to get to know one another better before making such a huge decision.

"No, shit! I, God, Bella, I just can't stand the thought of losing you, and I'm really good at jumping to the worst case scenario, I'm sorry."

"This has got to be the most fucked up after-proposal celebration ever," I cried, letting out all the emotions swirling around inside me.

"I'm sorry, can we do this again?" Edward asked with a huge smile on his face.

I nodded even though I was a little uncertain what he'd meant by that. Did he want to take back the proposal? I really hoped not. Although I had been leery at first, okay only a few seconds earlier, I had gotten used to the idea and couldn't stand the thought I had missed my chance to become his wife, his true partner in every way. My thoughts were a mess, and I couldn't rein them in if my life depended on it.

"Isabella Marie Swan, I have loved you from practically the first moment I laid eyes on you. Every moment since has been consumed by thoughts of you and longing to get to know you better. Each chance I have to spend time with you is extraordinary, and I know I will never tire of being in your presence. I know it's too soon, and I know it's crazy, but I love you with everything I am, and I want to bind my life with yours for as long as we both shall live. Please, will you marry me?"

I couldn't help it. I launched myself at him, the man I loved beyond all reason. He had quickly become my life, and I was so happy to discover he felt the same way about me. Despite how quickly we were moving, I knew I would never regret taking a chance on him.

I realized I hadn't answered him when I felt him pulling away again. Certainly he hadn't taken my non-response as a no this time. Damn it, I was fucking things up again. I looked into his eyes, held his face in my hands, and said, "Yes, with everything I am, yes," and leaned forward to seal it with a kiss.

That night was magical. We'd made love plenty of times, but never before like we did that night. All of our insecurities were washed away and we knew how utterly consumed we each were by the other. We were comforted by the knowledge that our feelings were reciprocated. It was an amazing experience, and I knew I would cherish that night forever.

We stayed in the bubble of Edward's bedroom until our roommates burst it by knocking on the door. After about thirty minutes of asking us to come out, they started demanding we emerge. We were just too damned content and wanted to stay wrapped up in each other forever. Our friends had other ideas, however, and were relentless in their attempts to get us out of that room. Finally realizing there was no hope of getting rid of them, we decided to get dressed and share our bliss.

"Wait," Edward called out to me as I went to unlock and open his door. He wrapped his arms around me and began kissing my neck, making me forget what I had just been doing.

"Huh?" I asked through the fog, remembering he had stopped me.

"I'm not sure I'm ready to share you, yet," he explained while continuing his assault on my throat.

"Edward," I whined. I wanted to stay there with him forever but knew we needed to face the real world sooner rather than later.

"Okay, okay, but you better promise me that I'll have you all to myself this evening," he stated, conceding rather reluctantly.

"So, how do you want to do this?" I asked, unsure of how he wanted to tell our friends our happy news.

"How about we see how long it takes them to notice the ring," he suggested, laughing.

I was still amazed that the ring he'd given to me had fit perfectly. We didn't have to wait to get it sized for me to start wearing it. I never wanted to take it off, so I was extremely glad I apparently wouldn't have to any time soon. I wanted the whole world to know that I would soon be Mrs. Edward Masen.

I never thought I would get married, much less so young. A lot of people got married in their early twenties. I just didn't think I would ever be one of them. The funny thing was I didn't have a single doubt about any of it. I wanted to marry Edward, and I would have married him right then and there if I could have.

We made our way down the hall and into the living room where Emmett and Jasper were playing some racing game while Alice and Rose perched next to their men discussing plans for the weekend. Edward held my left hand in his right as if trying to delay them spotting the ring. He seemed to enjoy only the two of us knowing. I smiled up at him as we went to sit in the love seat and made our presence known.

"Oh, Bella, what do you think about going to that new bar down the street tonight?" Alice asked as soon as she noticed we were in the room.

"No can do, Alice. We'll hang out with you guys all day, but I promised Edward I was all his tonight," I explained, hoping Alice wouldn't go ape shit or anything.

"What? He had you last night, that's not fair," she pouted dramatically. I knew she was just giving me a hard time for fun, but I felt Edward tense up beside me.

"She's kidding, Edward," I assured him before turning back to my best friends. "What do you guys want to do today?" I asked in hopes to change the direction of the conversation.

Edward and Alice were known to get a little out of hand when they didn't see eye-to-eye on something. If I didn't know better, I would swear they were siblings with the way the squabbled all the time. They really knew how to get a rise out of one another. Emmett looked between the two as if he were hoping they'd go at it again. He was the only one who actually enjoyed listening to them yelling at each other. Sometimes, he would say something that he knew they would disagree about just to goad them into arguing. I shook my head at him to let him know I would not be happy if he started anything that morning. I really wanted a chance to soak in the happiness I felt after the previous evening.

"Well, why don't we all get ready and go have a nice lunch somewhere? We haven't all spent time together in a while and it's about time we did something as a group for a change," Rose spoke up as the voice of reason. She put her hand on Emmett's shoulder and squashed whatever objection he had been about to make. He always wanted to spend his weekends playing video games. He claimed it was the only way to de-stress after a long week at work. Apparently, every week was long for Emmett.

We all finally agreed on a restaurant and went our separate ways to get ready. An hour later, I opened the door to find Edward waiting on the other side with a huge smile on his face.

"I can't believe they haven't noticed the ring yet. I really thought Alice or Rose would spot it right away." He laughed and scooped me up into his arms. "Oh, and we have to meet my parents for brunch tomorrow," he stated hastily as if that would make me freak out less.

"What?"

"Relax, love, they'll love you. I told them we have something important to tell them, so they're already expecting something. Everything will be fine, I promise," he assured, trying to keep me from all out panicking, which was exactly where I was headed. I knew I'd have to meet his parents, eventually, but I hadn't expected to have to do so the next day. I had no time to prepare!

"All right, let's get this party started," Emmett boomed as he made his way out of the apartment across the hall.

We decided just to walk since the restaurant was only a couple of blocks away and driving would probably take twice as long anyway. The boys walked behind us as Alice joined arms with Rose and I to walk ahead of them, stating she wanted a little girl time. I knew she really just wanted a chance to sashay in front of Jasper. She had a great body and knew it. Rose and I just laughed, letting her have her fun.

"Holy shit, Swan, is that what I think it is?" Rose suddenly squealed from the other side of Alice. I was actually surprised she had noticed it before Alice.

My two best friends stopped and grabbed my left hand almost making me fall over in their attempt to get a better look at my gorgeous new accessory. I heard Edward laugh from behind us as Emmett asked what the hell Rose was screeching about, earning a fierce glare from his girlfriend in return.

After the girls got over their resentment over me not telling them right away, the six of us continued on to the restaurant. Jasper and Emmett insisted on paying for Edward's and my lunch as their way of congratulating us. Alice and Rose were consumed by all the planning that would need to be done for the wedding. I hated to tell them that I just wanted something simple, especially since Edward and I hadn't even talked about it yet. I didn't feel right talking about it with them when Edward and I still needed to decide what we wanted. The girls were jumping ahead a little bit.

***PHC***

Standing in front of the place where we'd agreed to meet not only Edward's parents but my dad as well, I was literally trembling. Edward pulled me in close to his side in a comforting gesture. Why I had thought meeting his parents would be easier if my dad were there, I would never know. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Instead of feeling relieved that my dad was in there too, however, I felt nauseous. I hadn't been able to eat breakfast, so at least if I got sick there wouldn't be anything to heave out onto the sidewalk. As if that would make it any less humiliating. Maybe I could lure Edward back to my apartment with promises of sex. Yeah, that sounded way better than going through that door. I stroked Edward's bicep and looked up at him with what I hoped was a seductive smile. Flirting to get my way wasn't something I had ever tried before, so I just had to hope I was a natural.

"Why are you staring at me like that, Bella?"

"I'm starting to think this wasn't such a great idea. Can't we just elope or something? That way we don't have to go in there," I said, gesturing toward the building looming in front of us.

"Bella, if that's what you really want, we can leave now. We have to do the whole meet the parents things eventually, though, so why not just get it over with now?" he questioned gently, using a tone one might with a caged wild animal.

"Aren't you scared, at all? What if Charlie has his gun? I've never introduced a boyfriend to him before, much less a fiancé. Who knows how he'll react," I argued.

"I doubt he'll shot me in front of an audience without just cause." He laughed. Stupid idiot.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't try to keep you safe," I huffed out in frustration.

"Come on, love, let's get this over with, please?" He turned his pleading eyes to me, and I couldn't say no. Damn him and his beautifulness.

We walked in and I took a deep breath to try to steady my nerves. I couldn't breathe. By the time we made it to the hostess who was waiting to lead us to our table, I felt like I was going to faint. Edward steadied me as we headed toward where my dad was sitting with a very attractive couple. I saw the resemblance between Edward and his mother immediately. They had the same color hair and eyes. The similarities between Edward and his father were a little less obvious, but there nonetheless. The sharp lines of their jaws and their tall, muscular frames revealed their shared genes. Dad and the man I assumed to be Edward's father, stood as we approached. I couldn't help smiling at how awkward my dad looked in a suit. I was impressed, though, that he had dressed so nicely for the occasion.

After introductions were made, we all sat around the table. My legs were shaking so much that it was causing the heels of my shoes to make loud knocking noises against the hardwood floor beneath us. As the others began to look around, searching for the source of the noise, Edward's hand slipped stealthily under the table and stopped their movement. One touch from him, and I felt air rush back into my lungs. It was a wonder I was still conscious.

"So," Mrs. Masen started, "What's this important announcement you have for us?" Wow, she certainly didn't hold back, did she?

Edward looked over at me as if seeking my permission. I nodded and hoped for the best.

"I realize Bella and I haven't known one another for very long, but I know that she's the one for me. Chief Swan, there will never be a man, besides yourself of course, that will ever love Bella more than I do. Last night, I asked Bella to marry me and she accepted my proposal." His speech almost had me laughing out loud. He sounded so formal, and I could tell he was just as nervous as I was. He just hid it a little better than I did. When his hand shook a little in mine, I leaned over and pecked his lips in a show of support. I wanted him to know that we were in this together.

Somehow, I made it through the rest of the meal unscathed and was pleased that my dad seemed to approve of Edward. Our parents talked amicably, and Edward's parents seemed genuinely interested in finding out more about me. They were extremely kind, and I liked them right away. Luckily, they seemed to like me as well. As brunch progressed, my nerves settled. I even managed to have a decent time. Edward's mother asked me about our plans for the wedding, and I had to confess that we hadn't really discussed the details yet. She assured me that there was nothing wrong with that and encouraged us to enjoy this time as much as possible. She even shared some stories from when she and Mr. Masen were dating. By the time we left, I was even more certain I'd made the right decision in agreeing to marry Edward.

We were driving back to our apartment building when Edward put his hand over mine and brought it to rest with his on his lap. We smiled goofily at each other for a second before he focused back on the road. As I thought about all the choices we were going to have to make in the coming weeks and months, I started to get a little overwhelmed again. Alice and Rose had gotten into my head with all their advice on planning the wedding. I honestly hadn't realized how much was involved in even a simple ceremony. Edward squeezed my hand as if sensing that I needed his comfort. We may not have known that much about the details of each other's lives, but we knew the things that mattered most. Edward may not have known my favorite color, but he knew when I needed a reassuring touch. He knew the important things that really mattered.

"I have some great news," Edward stated right after he closed his bedroom door behind us.

"Well, tell me already!" I said after he just stood there grinning at me for what seemed like several minutes.

"Okay, first you have to promise not to get mad."

"If it's great news then why would I get mad?" I asked in exasperation.

"Well, I kind of showed your story to my literary agent, and she wants to work with you on making it into a novel and getting it published." He looked at me with a mixture of joy and dread in his eyes.

"You showed my story to your agent?" I asked for clarification. I couldn't believe there was even a chance I could become a published author.

"Yes, she even said we could work together on it if you wanted. That way, my name could be attached to it and maybe help boost the sales of your first book. But it's definitely not a requirement or anything and is completely up to you."

"I could be published?"

"Yes."

For the second time in two days I launched myself at Edward.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope I did the story justice with my contribution. This is the last regular chapter and ImHeretoReview will finish this story up with the epilogue. **

**MandyLeigh87 and ImHeretoReview worked hard on this project from beginning to end, and I know it wasn't always an easy task, so big thanks go out to them for all they did to bring this story to life. I'm so glad I got to be a part of it :-) **

~StoryPainter


	21. epi

**Twilight is property of Stephanie Meyer. This chapter was written for a Round Robin collaboration by the amazing, ImHereToReview. If you'd like to join this story, too late, this is the epi.**

**Sorry it took so long to get this last chapter out to you guys but it's finally here.**

**Buckle your seatbelts ladies (and gentlemen).**

~*~TPHC~*~

Pounding. My head was pounding. It felt like tiny little people were jack hammering in my brain. What a way to wake up. Every time I drank too much and woke like that, I'd vow never to do it again.

Yet, I'd done it again.

But for what reason? Were we celebrating something?

I lay in bed with my eyes closed tight, praying for the little men to stop working their way through my skull. As I lay there I tried to piece together the night before but it was a garbled mess. I couldn't differentiate between real life and my dreams.

The last thing I remembered, Edward and I got married. Right?

No… Engaged.

We were engaged.

The thought made me smile inside.

And my novel was being published. I frowned a little and it hurt my eyeballs, even though my eyes were closed.

Published? My novel? What the fuck? I hadn't written anything except a few naughty stories on FanFiction. I wasn't a writer. Not in the sense that would get any real notoriety. That part had to be a dream.

As I drifted back and forth between true consciousness and that crazy dream state, I tried to think of the other weird things that were whirling around my mind.

Emmett was married. Not for love, but as a favor? But wasn't married anymore. That was too confusing to think about anymore than a few minutes.

Jacob? Who the hell was Jacob? We didn't even have a neighbor named Jacob. That had to be a dream. The only Jacob I knew was my dad's mechanic that I took my car to…once.

Edward had a crazy, stalkerish ex-girlfriend. Which was weird its own right, because she'd literally just walked away after Edward and I kissed for the first time. Something didn't add up there. Was she part of my dream too?

I lay there for what felt like forever, thinking about the weird things jumbled in my head. I couldn't make heads or tales of it all.

It was still early – I could tell. The dawn had hardly broken, allowing only a small amount of light into my room. I tried to open my eyes but the barely-there light made it uncomfortable.

Eventually my headache started to subsided but my brain was in overdrive. I needed to get up. I needed to figure out what really happened.

I finally inched my eyes open and realized I was in nothing but my underwear. I'd made it to my bed somehow, but I had no idea how I got there. I groaned and rolled over, stopping abruptly when I ran into a bare chest. I felt up and down it, trying to figure out if I was dreaming or hallucinating.

"Not that I mind you doing that, but…what the hell are you doing?" Edward asked.

I screamed and pulled the covers up over my bare chest before reaching for the lamp beside my bed.

There he was. Right beside me in all his gorgeous glory. He squinted into the light as I took in his form. He was in nothing but his boxers and a wave of panic shot through me. Did we do what I think we did? I sure as hell hope not because that's something I definitely wanted to remember.

"Edward…did we…" I motioned between us. "I mean did we….have sex?"

He cocked his head to the side. I held my breath as he started to speak…

"Do you really think that little of me, Bella?" He feigned hurt. "I'm a gentleman. You and I both drank too much after you warded off Tanya. I would never take advantage of a woman while she's intoxicated." He smirked after his mini-speech and my Lady Bits took notice.

That's not all that took notice. Edward's eyes turned down toward my barely covered chest as my nipples hardened under the thin sheet. He licked his lips before returning his gaze back to my own.

His eyes drew me in. I was mesmerized.

"But when she's stone cold sober and in bed with me…." he teased.

I couldn't think of anything else but jumping across his lap and riding him into oblivion. _Stupid dream and making me think I could have him._

I had to do something. I had to say something. I said the first thing that I could think.

"I dreamt about you last night." _Shit._ _I can't believe I said that._

"Is that right?" His sexy smirk grew wider as he ran his fingers through his messy hair. I wanted to do that.

He leaned closer into me, causing me to lay further back. His eyes were questioning but I couldn't speak. I could only nod as he continued to draw closer and closer to me. The heat between us was intense. I closed my eyes and waited.

I felt his nose skim my cheek and his lips barely kiss my blushing skin as he inched closer and closer still. I felt his warm breath on my neck and then my ear. I shivered as my body broke out in goose bumps. He chuckled lowly and the sexiness of it all threw the butterflies in my stomach into overdrive.

"What was this dream about? If I might ask," he whispered into my ear before taking my lobe between his teeth.

My breathing hiked and my mind swirled.

Now that I was awake I could make better sense as to what was real and what was my dream. The last real thing I remembered was kissing the shit out of Edward in the hallway as his ex-girlfriend stomped off in a huff.

The rest?

The rest was a dream. A weirdly strange…strangely weird dream. Some parts I wished I could have and other parts I was glad would stay where they belonged – in a dream.

But now? Now Edward was close…very close. His body was lined up perfectly beside mine. His lips kissing across my neck, making me melt.

"Wha...what?" I managed to pant.

"Your dream. What were we doing in your dream, Bella?" he whispered quietly against my neck.

I shivered at the feel of his breath against me, so warm.

"Uh…"

"What was that?" he questioned quietly.

"You…and me. We…we." I couldn't think straight. I'd just figured out that it wasn't all real. But I wanted it to be real. I could make it real. Well…some of it anyway.

I pulled back a little and was met with his beautiful, sparkling eyes.

"I'll tell you...when I get back. Give me two minutes." I smiled my best sexy smile and contemplated how to get out of bed without showing Edward my boobs. Well, right away at least. I grabbed the sheet, pulling it tight against myself as I slinked away from him. I slithered off the bed in what I was sure was the least sexy move on the planet.

I heard him chuckle and looked at him over my shoulder. He'd settled onto his back with his hands tucked behind his head. His sculpted chest and tempting "V" on display and making me wish I hadn't gotten up at all. His sexy smirk drew my eyes from his chest. But his eyes were on my ass. In my attempt to stay covered up, I'd missed my ass. _How does that even happen?_ I squeaked and turned around him, covering my ass in the process. I had to get out of that room. I had to pee after all. And brush my teeth. Yes, teeth-brushing was imperative.

I backed out of the room and tip toed to the bathroom. On my way I heard the distinct sound of sex. I had no idea who it was and didn't want to know. But then I heard "Oh, Jasper," coming from Alice's room and cringed, walking faster to my destination. The bathroom door was locked and the shower was running – only the shower wasn't the only sound coming from the other side of the door. It had to be Rosalie and Emmett. More fucking was happening…in our bathroom.

_Damn it! _I had to pee.

I trekked to Rosalie's room, which had a half bath attached to it. I held my breath as I made my way through her room. If it smelled like sex, I didn't want to know. And if her fucked up bed was any indication…it probably did. Blankets were thrown all across the bed and the fitted sheets were no longer tucked properly around the edges. I didn't want to think about it anymore.

I hurried through a shortened version of my morning routine – pee, wash face, brush teeth with my finger and toothpaste, brushed my hair with Rosalie's brush. When I looked at myself in the mirror I was surprisingly happy to see that I didn't look half bad to be hung over.

When I finished I started back through Rosalie's room. Her bedroom door swung open with a bang while she and Emmett were barely covered in towels, kissing and not paying any attention to the fact that I was in the room. Not that I was supposed to be…but they were in my way first.

"Ahem." I cleared my throat to let the amorous couple know they had company.

No response.

Emmett kicked the door closed with his foot and moved Rosalie closer to the bed.

"Ahem," I voiced a little louder.

Nothing.

Well, if by nothing I mean Emmett starting to remove his towel and Rosalie's as well.

I squeaked, covered my eyes and made a run for it.

By the time I made it out of the room and shut the door behind me, I was sure they were at it again.

I shuddered a little. _Gross._

I loved my friend dearly but never, ever, ever wanted to see or hear that. Ever.

I heard a moan come from someone on the other side of the door and chuckled. I quickly moved away from the noises and made my way back to my bedroom. By the time I closed the door I was in full blown giggles. My odd predicament and narrow escape had me beside myself. I had nearly forgotten about Edward when his strong arms wrapped around my waist and drew me back against his chest.

I mewled like a cat once his lips touched my skin. The giggles subsided and I melted into his arms. He kissed his way from my neck and down to my bare shoulders. I may or may not have been breathing at that point.

"What was so funny, kitten?" he whispered against my neck. "Bella?" he breathed across my bare skin.

"Hmm?"

"What had you laughing so?" he asked quietly with a chuckle, his lips still pressed against my overheated body.

_What was I laughing at? What was my name?_

I blinked a few times and tried to remember what on earth was so funny before the sexiest man on earth started to kiss my body.

As soon as I remembered I giggled again. Edward's nose skimmed up my neck until he reached my ear.

"Tell me."

I turned around and placed my hands around his neck, careful to stay pressed against him just tight enough to keep the sheet around me in place.

He looked into my eyes with an amused expression.

"I almost got stuck in Rosalie's room while she and Emmett were having sex."

His eyes widened while his grin got even bigger. He tightened his grip around me and tilted his head in question.

I sighed and gave him the readers digest version. About trying to just go to the bathroom and them using the bathroom for their own personal reasons, so I used Rosalie's half-bath and got caught up in an almost porno.

He laughed. Hard. He laughed so hard that he nearly shook the sheet away from my body.

Once he settled down he chuckled once more and apologized for my misfortune. "I'm sorry, Bella. But is really is funny."

I nodded in agreement and rolled my eyes. "I know, I know. Story of my life."

"Tell me about it," he prompted with a quizzical look.

I furrowed my brow. "What?"

"Your story. Tell me about Bella Swan. I know your name. I know your roommates. I know you like to watch reruns of Friends. And I know you like to rescue men from their crazy ex-girlfriends who can't get a clue that it's over and has been. For a long, long time. Tell me about you."

He was too sweet for words.

"I want to talk about something else right now, Edward."

He gave me a genuine smile and asked, "What's that?"

"I want to know more about this confession of yours. The confession where you may or may not have a crush on me." I cocked my eyebrow in question.

His eyes sparkled as his grin grew. His arms tightened around my body again and I wished he'd never let me go.

"I'm crazy about you," he responded in a husky voice.

"Prove it," I whispered

With that, our lips locked in the most amazing kiss. I'm not sure who kissed who but it didn't matter. We were in it together. Our lips molded together and hesitant tongues soon became tangled.

In an instant Edward lifted me around my waist -our mouths still connected- and carried me to bed. I lay there naked as his eyes hungrily took in my body. The sheet that once surrounded my body was long gone. I would have been a little more modest but the way Edward molded his body against mine, I couldn't think to care.

His lips made their way down my neck and I grasped his hair. The further south he moved the tighter I held on. He moaned but I was sure it was a good moan. Mine was.

He caressed my breast gently in his hand as his tongue swirled around my taut nipple. I was in heaven. He kissed the valley between them and moved to the other, giving it the same attention. Just before it was too much he looked up from his task and gave me a sexy smirk. I loved that smirk.

The look in my eyes must have given me away because he moved up quickly and kissed me once more. I wanted him. Now.

We worked together to get his boxers off. Once we were both naked and pressed against one another again, he started to grind against me. His heavy cock slipped easily against me as I became even more wet for him. He searched my face –his breaths fast and deep- as we got closer and closer to becoming one.

Clinging to his shoulders, I begged. I wanted him inside of me and I wanted it now. "Edward, uh, please. Oh fuck, please."

With no question in either of our expressions he pulled back further and slipped into me easily. We both let out a shuddered breath as he filled me completely. His head fell forward and rested gently on my shoulder. I murmured my need for him into his ear as he kissed my neck and shoulder.

He pulled out slowly and pressed forward until we met once again. It was a slow build. We enjoyed each slow thrust as they slowly grew in intensity. I wrapped my legs tightly around him, pushing my hips up to stay in time with his deep thrusts. He swallowed my screams of pleasure as his pace continued to speed up.

One strong turn with his hands on my hips and I was on top. "Beautiful," he panted while he watched me ride him. I sat up straight and threw my head back as he pushed deeper still into.

I felt my orgasm creeping in with each plunge onto his steel hard cock.

"Edward. Fuck. Fuck, I'm coming. Oh. No. Please, faster. Please."

He sat up and met me, chest to chest, just in time for my pleasure to crash around me. I clung to him for dear life.

He slowed his pace before stopping all together to allow me to catch my breath.

"Better?" he whispered against my lips.

I nodded with a small chuckle and snuggled into his embrace for a minute.

But he wasn't done and I wasn't done with him. Leaning back I raised an eyebrow with a smirk before I moved up and down on my again. He groaned in pleasure and thrust up into me deeper. I pushed him onto his back again and leaned into him, my breast nearly in his face. He took them in his hands and pushed them together while lavishing them with his talented mouth.

We changed positions twice more before ending up in the traditional missionary position as we started. I had to admit, though it wasn't one of the more elaborate positions, it was my favorite. It allowed for his pelvic bone to push against my clit, when at the right angle. And Edward knew his angles.

Our thrusts grew sporadic and our quiet lovemaking was quiet no more. I cried out in pleasure each time he hit against my g-spot. My body quivered in need once more. I was close. He was close.

"Bella," he panted.

"Edward."

"I'm gonna come soon. Really soon."

"Yes. Oh please yes."

"Fuck. I'm coming. I'm coming. Uh. Uh. Uuuuhhhh…"

"Yes. Yes. Yes."

He pushed deep inside, releasing his pleasure into me as I clinched around him one last time, moaning with satisfaction.

We stayed connected, kissing as much as we could while catching our breath. He rolled onto his back and I snuggled into him.

We lay there for, what had to be hours talking about ourselves, our families, our work. Edward wasn't just a pretty face with a sexy body. He was smart, kind and sweet.

I snuck out at one point and grabbed two bowls of cereal for us. I wasn't ready to leave our little bubble, so we ate in bed. Then we napped. Then there was more sex.

By midday we lay hot, naked and satisfied, watching the ceiling fan whirl around above our heads. I turned to him with a smile as his expression matched my own.

"I think I'm going to like having you as my new neighbor," I said wagging my eyebrows.

"Is that right," he chuckled.

"Uh, huh."

"Well good, because otherwise I think I'd be a creeper and be watching you through my peep hole from across the hall." His eyes widened toward the end to emphasize what he was saying.

My face turned red as what he said sunk in. He'd heard us watching them the day they moved it.

He leaned over me, kissing away my blush.

"It's okay, baby. I couldn't wait to meet you either."

With that he gave me a searing kiss and started another round of lovemaking and I knew he'd be the best damn neighbor in the history of peep holes.

~*~TPHC~*~

**SO? Whatdaja think? When I was talking to Mandy about this last chapter, months ago, we came up with a great idea to literally start back at chapter one….so I ran with it. Much love to my #1 beta batgirl8968 and her amazing beta'ing skilz.**

**My penname is ImHereToReview and I am one of the two administrators (MandyLeigh87 being the other) for this round robin story. MandyLeigh87 brought me this idea and I said, "Hell yeah, that sounds fun!" It was a challenge for all of us and I hope you liked it. Please take a look at the list of authors and give their personal writings a chance. Thank you to the authors who helped make this Round Robin possible!**

**Last but not least, go check out my newest story, The Life and Death of Isabella Swan: _Isabella Swan's battle with a near constant illness baffles doctors. Can anyone find the cure before it's too late?_**


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